


A Case Of Identity

by TheWaterGoddess



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, Introspection, Kaishin (Meitantei Conan), Love Triangles, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mystery, Ran and Shinichi as best 'friends', Romance, Shinkai (Meitantei Conan), The Black Organisation is down
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-09-22 12:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 49,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9608237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWaterGoddess/pseuds/TheWaterGoddess
Summary: Falling out of love with Ran was as unpredictable as was falling into love with KID. But with Ran crushing on Kuroba Kaito and KID not knowing his identity as Conan, things are just turning out to be more complicated than ever. Love Triangles. Angst. Happy Endings. KaiShin/ShinKai.***.......UPDATED - Bonus Chapter 8-9-10: The Heist Part 1-Part 2-Part 3.....***Brief Kaito/Ran (NOT main pairing)Kaito/ShinichiSaguru/Aoko (minor)Heiji/Kazuha (minor)Response to a prompt (Secret Crushes) by Shana_Fujioka.Dedicated to: Shana_Fujioka





	1. Secret Crushes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shana_Fujioka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shana_Fujioka/gifts).
  * Inspired by [KaiShin/ShinKai Prompts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8635951) by [Shana_Fujioka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shana_Fujioka/pseuds/Shana_Fujioka). 



> ...  
> Acknowledgments: I owe this story to a prompt (Secret Crushes) given by Shana-Fujioka. This fan-fiction will be based on it. My thanks to her and her creative mind for writing such an inspiring and intriguing plot, which has lead me to write a story on it.
> 
> Also, thanks to my best friend for inspiring quite a few conversations between Ran and Shinichi as well as Shinichi and Kaito.
> 
> To Shana-Fujioka – I hope you enjoy this story!  
> ...
> 
> Note:- The movies are not considered at all. So KID doesn't know who Conan actually is.
> 
> Warning:- Also, this is slash. M/M pairing. If anyone is uncomfortable with it, please do not read. Nothing explicit, however.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Acknowledgments: I owe this story to a prompt (Secret Crushes) given by Shana-Fujioka. This fan-fiction will be based on it. My thanks to her and her creative mind for writing such an inspiring and intriguing plot, which has lead me to write a story on it.
> 
> Also, thanks to my best friend for inspiring quite a few conversations between Ran and Shinichi as well as Shinichi and Kaito.
> 
> To Shana-Fujioka – I hope you enjoy this story!  
> ...
> 
> Note:- The movies are not considered at all. So KID doesn't know who Conan actually is.
> 
> Warning:- Also, this is slash. M/M pairing. If anyone is uncomfortable with it, please do not read. Nothing explicit, however.

He wasn't sure how long it had been now.

It was certainly after Ran and he had that talk about letting each other go and finding happiness with someone else. As the Black Organisation had yet to be taken down and the cure unavailable, Shinichi had been trying out a new and improved antidote created by Haibara, when Ran had arrived at Hakase's house.

The meeting had been unplanned, but the talk had been long-awaited. They both knew that while once there had been a chance, a potential for a relationship between them, now it was no longer so. It had been nearly a year now and he had been still stuck as Conan, with no hope for a cure. They two of them had sat down and conversed for hours before parting with heartfelt tears and apologies, but with a lighter heart. Ran and Shinichi still loved each other, just not romantically. They were now like siblings to each other and cared for the other like family.

So, Shinichi was not certain how long it had been now, since he had fallen in love with Kaitou Kid.

It had begun with the Bell Tree Express Case, where Conan had somewhat blackmailed KID into disguising as Miyano Shiho and facing Bourbon. The plan had been carried out perfectly – for one made on the spot with limited resources and a high level of danger – and Conan had realised just how _well_ they could work together.

It was a long time after that spectacular Blush Mermaid Heist – the only second time Conan had purposefully led the police astray so as to let KID escape, the first being during the Iron Tanuki Case – that the detective had entertained the idea of collaborating forces to bring down the Black Organisation.

Haibara had been reluctant and KID even more so (The last time I agreed to a plan of yours Tantei-kun, I nearly got blown up in a train carriage! _Blown up!)_ – But after encountering a similar black-clad individual wielding guns at another Suzuki Jirokichi Challenge Heist, even Kaitou Kid had to agree that a little help would not be remiss. Especially from someone who was already involved and far more ahead of him in combatting against them.

Another year later, the organisation was down.

_"…I told you we worked well together, Tantei-kun!"_

_"I recollect that it was me who said that, KID,"_

_"Meh, same difference…"_

The FBI had retreated from Japan, after issuing a huge apology to the Japanese Government for unauthorised stay and investigation on foreign land – Amuro Tooru, or as he now went by, Furuya Rei had been smug for days – and had left a parting gift for Conan. The files holding the formula of the APTX-4869.

Conan had reluctantly told James Black and Jodie-sensei (Andre Camel had a very bad track record of keeping secrets) about his identity, Akai Shuichi was already aware anyway, as he'd needed a reason for wanting access to the files containing a deadly poison. The three of them had promised to keep the shrinking side-effect of the poison a secret, and agreed to let Haibara start over as a child, free from her dark past.

While Conan would miss many things when he returned to being Shinichi – the numerous police acquaintances he'd made, the Detective Boys, Azusa-san's special iced coffee she prepared only for him, Kobayashi-sensei's cheerful attitude and classes – the one thing that dominated in his mind was KID.

Edogawa Conan was quite popular as the Kid Killer and was known to attend every Suzuki Jirokichi Challenge Heist, but Kudo Shinichi had not been to a single one. Not only because he was primarily a homicide detective, but also because he had no interest in thieves. Neither had Conan for that matter, but KID had been different.

Truthfully, he'd never had any particular need to attend KID's heists. He had no interest in seeing a thief steal a jewel or another priceless artefact. All he'd been interested in was the challenge it provided him, without the threat of death hovering around. And the heists were a means to encounter that challenge and strive to win against his rival.

But when he'd come to know the thief better during their takedown of the Black Organisation, he'd realised just how much more there was to KID. He was challenge even outside the heists; his mind and thought processes were complicated and convoluted, yet held no maliciousness.

It was…refreshing.

Conan no longer wanted to simply chase the thief as he stole, but also wanted to engage him in conversations about everyday mundane topics. He'd grown to appreciate the teen's cheerful attitude, witty remarks and ceaseless enthusiasm for magic. KID enjoyed a challenge and mystery much like any detective; only he preferred to create them more than solve them. That worked out quite well for the both of them, in fact.

So, somewhere along the way, Conan knew it was no longer friendship that he felt towards the thief, but love. Somehow, unexpectedly, inexplicably, he'd fallen in love with Kaitou Kid.

And despite knowing that it was not meant to be, he couldn't fall out of love with the damned thief, no matter how much he tried to convince himself.

The 'He's a criminal' excuse or 'I don't know him really' excuse wasn't truly valid anymore. After the organisation's fall, KID had told him that would be hanging up the cape and top-hat. Perhaps a few interspersed heists like the Ryoma's treasure ones to return artefacts or expose frauds, but that would be it. Kaitou Kid would disappear just as mysteriously as he'd appeared – like a phantom.

Edogawa Conan would be doing a similar vanishing act. And the fact that he would no longer be able to see KID, to learn more about that brilliant mind and unique individual – because Kaitou Kid was an unsolvable mystery that would take Conan a _lifetime_ to unravel – was regretful.

Painful.

But necessary.

* * *

"Are you sure you want do this, Kudo-kun?" Haibara asked quietly, the red and white pill placed on a petri dish in front of her.

She had told him numerous times that there was no true antidote to the poison, just another poison to counteract the previous one. Each time he took a pill, he chanced death.

"Yes," Conan replied in an equally quiet voice, "all that I'll be leaving behind as Conan is regretful, but I had a life as Shinichi that is far more precious to me."

"Then I have a condition," Haibara said as she passed over the pill, "I want you tell the kids the truth."

"The kids?" Conan was surprised.

"You're going to tell the girl from the agency, aren't you? Then telling the kids too will be the correct thing to do."

"But –"

"Don't you see, Kudo-kun?" Haibara leaned forward, "You're going to tell Mouri-chan because she deserves to know the truth. You don't want to lie to her any longer. Then the kids deserve the same courtesy. Besides, they know how to keep secrets; you've taught them well."

Conan looked hesitant, but he agreed, "Okay, I will."

* * *

Two months later, Kudo Shinichi stepped out of Teitan High School with his graduation certificate along with his childhood friends, Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko.

"Freedom! At last!" Sonoko cried out in happiness, "But…I will miss high school. We had fun times."

Shinichi snorted, ' _Yeah, fun times – stuck as a kid.'_

"Well, not that _you_ would know anything about that, Shinichi-kun!" Sonoko huffed, "Gone off on that huge case…barely had any time for Ran!"

"Sonoko!" Ran tried to reproach her, "He was working with the FBI! As well as the Japanese Secret Police! You should be proud of him."

"I did come to that play you directed, you know," Shinichi interjected.

But Sonoko was not deterred and continued to berate the Heisei Holmes as they walked back to his house – they were staying over for dinner as a celebration of their High School Graduation. She had been quite miffed with him ever since he'd come back and _not_ pursued a relationship with Ran. Never mind that she did not want to either, she still ranted at every available opportunity (It's my right as your best friend, Ran!) despite Ran's attempts to waylay her.

"Where are you applying for, you two?" Ran quickly asked in hopes of steering the conversation away from her non-existent love life.

"Oh no, I'm not applying for University," Sonoko said, "I'll be studying privately to take over the Suzuki Business. And Makoto-san will be joining me in quite a few lessons, too!"

The other two easily ignored her breathy sigh of 'love' with practice.

"Kyoto University, probably," Shinichi replied, "Hattori is applying for it too. They have some of the best professors for criminology and psychology there,"

"Oh, you deduction geeks!" Ran laughed,

"And you'll be joining Tokyo University, I presume?" Shinichi asked.

"Yes," Ran smiled, "Kaa-san studied there. Best recommendation for pursuing a career in law,"

"Ah, look at my Ran-chan!" Sonoko cooed happily, "All grown up! In a few years, she'll be a great lawyer too!"

"Mou, Sonoko!"

Shinichi laughed; glad to be back among his friends.

* * *

"Thank you, Kudo-kun. Your help is greatly appreciated, as always," Inspector Ayanokoji said.

Inspector Ayanokoji Fumimaro was Inspector Shiratori's friend and had been first introduced to him via Megure-keibu during a case. As an Inspector of the Kyoto Prefectural Police, they would be working together quite often, but Shinichi and Ayanokoji-keibu had gotten along as well as he had with Shiratori-keibu at their first meeting, which is to say, not at all.

It had taken a couple of months and chance meetings at crime scenes, that Shinichi just happened upon across the course of his daily life, for them to get to know each other better. Developing a mutual respect for each other had gone a long way in helping, of course.

The two of them had been making small talk when the Inspector abruptly paused, "Ah, it seems your companion has arrived. I shall keep you no longer then, Kudo-kun."

Shinichi turned to see who he could mean and waved at his 'companion' when he spotted her, "Ran!"

Ran gave him a hug upon reaching him, "Mou, Shinichi. My first visit to you and it is at a crime scene! I was actually looking forward to eating at this restaurant,"

"Gomen, gomen," Shinichi chuckled, "the head chef got poisoned. I know another nice place though, we can go there,"

"Sure," she slipped her arm through his as they walked out of the eatery, "Kazuha-chan was telling me how delicious the gyoza is here though, so you'll have to bring me to this place one day."

"Of course," Shinichi grinned, "but tell me, how is everything at Tokyo?"

"Wonderful!" Ran beamed, "I'm doing great at my classes and I've made some really exciting friends! Hakuba-kun is in my class – you know, the detective from that Sunset Mansion Case? Oh, what am I talking about, you never forget your cases! So, he's in my class and he's quite like you – a total Holmes nut!"

"Yeah?"

Ran delved into her life at Tokyo University, telling him about the vast library and huge auditorium (Sonoko would have loved to direct a play on that stage!) as well as the large campus grounds. She complained a bit about her mother and father's reluctance to go out on family dinners (But I'm making progress! I _am_! Stop _laughing_ , Shinichi!), told him that the kids send their love as well as a request to come and visit soon, Hakase's failed attempts at inventing an improvised toaster and Haibara's resignation at it.

"But, enough about me," Ran said finally as they took a seat at the café, "tell me everything! How is Kyoto? And the University? And life at dorms? And Hattori-kun? I've not heard from him in so long…"

"It's all good, Ran," Shinichi smiled, "The University is great. They're allowing leave of absences if I'm caught up in a case too –"

"Okay, _now_ I see what's great about it," Ran giggled, "they don't complain if you miss their lectures if you stumble upon a body!"

"Oi!"

"You and Hattori-kun must be taking so much advantage of it!"

"Hey, we're not that bad," Shinichi protested, "Heiji and I have a very good attendance record, all things considered,"

" _Heiji_?" Ran raised a sceptical eyebrow, "I didn't know you were on first-name basis with him,"

"We share a dorm. Cooking and eating food together and washing each other's laundry removes quite a few barriers of propriety and politeness," Shinichi said dryly.

At that, Ran gave a full-blown laughter that attracted quite a bit of attention.

* * *

"So that's the real reason?" Ran asked, sipping her coffee, "I wondered, you know. Eisuke-kun did leave rather suddenly…"

"Hmm," Shinichi nodded, "I don't know if he still wants to pursue a career in law enforcement and join the CIA one day. May be not, now that the organisation is defeated,"

Ran sighed, "I don't like the danger you surrounded yourself in, Shinichi. I know that capturing them was necessary, but hearing about it now, even after everything is all over…it scares me slightly."

"Would you rather I never told you?" Shinichi asked her quietly.

"NO!" Ran nearly shouted. Calming down, she repeated, "No, I'm glad you told me the truth. But, I would've just preferred that you never got caught up in that mess,"

"Not all my experiences as Conan were bad, you know," Shinichi told her, "Meeting Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta, becoming friends with Haibara, getting to know all those detectives and police officers…"

Ran smiled, "Yes, that's true. And you did enjoy the Kaitou Kid heists as well,"

As usual, hearing about KID made Shinichi melancholy. The thief's fan base was wide-spread and plenty of people at the University could talk about nothing but KID every time the papers advertised a jewel exhibition or Nakamori-keibu appeared on T.V.

Absently, Shinichi caught himself hoping that Jirokichi-san would throw out another challenge to the Moonlit Magician, because KID was never one to turn down challenges and was sure to make an appearance then.

And while Shinichi had never gone to KID's heists before getting poisoned – he'd not even been truly _aware_ of it, thieves not catching his interest – now he'd gladly make his appearance at one, just to be able to go against him once more.

He was not Conan and may be regarded as just another detective by KID, but it did not matter. To interact with the man behind the mask that he'd grown to love, even if he'd never seen his true face, Shinichi would definitely make an appearance.

This was a forlorn hope, of course. KID must be, no doubt, enjoying his civilian life; now that the oppressing shadows of the Black Organisation had been chased away. While the thief had confessed to actually enjoying his heists and generally making a fool out of the KID Task Force, he would not be thieving anymore unless it was needed.

Shinichi had kept a lookout for any new magicians planning to make their debut to see if he could find him, but of course KID had not left such an easy trail. He would probably wait for some time before going professional.

"Shinichi? Shinichi!"

Shinichi brought himself out of his thoughts at Ran's call and tried to integrate himself back into the conversation, "So, have you got a boyfriend yet?"

"No, and not for lack of trying," Ran told him, "Sonoko's been introducing me to guys left, right and centre. But…no one clicks, you know?"

"Yeah, I do," Shinichi said softly.

Ran was surprised at his tone, "Say, Shinichi…have you found a girl?"

"Hmm?" Shinichi blinked at that, "No. No girl."

"Are you sure?" Ran insisted,

Shinichi frowned at her persistence, "Yeah, no girl. Positive."

She looked at him shrewdly for a moment, "A boy, then?"

Shinichi sputtered, "W-What?"

"A boy, Shinichi. Has a guy caught your eye?"

Shinichi's silence said it all. Ran knew her childhood friend very well, after all.

"So? Who is it? Tell me!"

Shinichi shook his head, gaining back his composure, "No, not telling you any names." _'Not that I **know** his name. Can't tell her it is KID, now, can I?' _

"Huh?" Ran pouted slightly, "Why not?"

"Oh no, not telling at all. You'd never leave me alone if I did!"

"Okay," Ran contemplated, "How about an exchange then? You tell me about this crush of yours and I'll tell you about mine. Not that I have one right now, but when I do, I'll tell you, okay?

"Ran," Shinichi groaned, "Come on! Don't bring me into this girl talk! Don't you have Sonoko for this? And I can talk to Heiji for my girl problems, okay?"

"But you don't have _girl_ problems, Shinichi," Ran pointed out with a smirk, "These are _boy_ problems. So obviously, _I'm_ the one to talk to, right? Besides, who said this is girl talk? This is best friend talk! So, you totally can't get out of this."

Shinichi pondered upon the wisdom of agreeing to this, but decided to let Ran have her way. She would keep insisting till he consented either way. Seeing that he was going to comply, Ran beamed.

"Let's shake hands on this, like _boys_ ," she stressed mockingly, "Deal?"

"Deal," Shinichi shook hands at Ran's prompting, wondering what he'd gotten himself into now.

* * *

It had been precisely two weeks later that he got a call from Ran.

Shinichi had been studying by himself in the library – Heiji having gone down to the local police station to give in his statement for that case he's solved two days ago – when Sera Masumi had plopped down on the chair across him.

"Yo, Shinichi-kun," Masumi whispered passing him his cell phone, "Ran-chan's called you three times in this past hour. I think you should check it out,"

"Oh, thanks Masumi-chan," Shinichi gave her a smile as he walked out of the library, dialling Ran's number.

The moment she picked up, Shinichi was bombarded by questions, "Shinichi? Are you alright? Stuck in a case? Hurt? Is something wrong? You've not been answering my calls since the past three hours!"

"Calm down, Ran," Shinichi murmured soothingly, "I'm fine. I was in the library and had left my phone in the common room,"

"Oh, okay," Ran said sheepishly, "Sorry, I just tend to worry a lot now. The last time you ignored my calls for so long, you'd gotten poisoned…"

"I know, it's fine. I'm fine. But that's not what you called me about, did you?"

"Oh, yes, I meant to tell you," Ran sounded happy now, "Okaa-san won the case!"

"The Kichimura defence case? I heard the prosecutor was Kujo-san… That's great!" Shinichi replied happily.

"Isn't it? We're celebrating this Saturday by going out to dinner," Ran told him, "and since you helped out by sending in your observations in that report for Kaa-san, she wants you to join in,"

"Hmm, Saturday is it?" Shinichi furrowed his brows, "Okay, I think that's fine with me. I might stay for the rest of the weekend too, it will be like a visit, yeah?"

"Great!"

* * *

It was Sunday, the day after that celebratory dinner, and Shinichi had cooped himself up in the Kudo house's huge library, re-reading Sherlock Holmes. Ran was about to arrive in some time, and he debated upon actually getting up and dressing for their outing. Obviously, Sherlock Holmes won out.

"Shinichi!" Ran huffed when she entered the library an hour later, "Leave those books alone for a while and get dressed. We're not spending the whole day inside your library."

"And why not?" Shinichi countered, burrowing deeper into his armchair, "It is better than meeting up with Sonoko certainly. All she'll do the whole time is pester me about not dating you…"

Ran giggled then, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I found 'the one'."

"Huh?"

"You know, last time we met…I told you I'd tell you about any guys I'm interested in?" Ran reminded him.

"Yeah... So, who is he? Are you going out with him?"

"Oh no," Ran shook her head, "Not yet, I just barely know him. He studies at Tokyo Uni too. Hakuba-kun introduced me to him. And he looks quite a bit like you,"

"Like me?" Shinichi raised an eyebrow,

"Yes, not much, but similar enough," Ran perked up, "And I met a girl who looks quite a bit like _me_ too!"

"Like you?" Shinichi repeated incredulously, "What are the odds…"

"Isn't it?" Ran smiled, "He's a nice guy, though. And I don't like, _like_ him, right now. It's just a tiny crush at the moment,"

"Hmm," Shinichi smiled at her, "that's nice. But, you've got to introduce me to him first, before you plan to date him or something…"

"Oh, going to play overprotective big brother role, eh?" Ran teased, "Then I get the same privilege. Which reminds me, who is that mystery guy of yours?"

Shinichi remained silent, wondering what to tell.

"He's an enigma," Shinichi began, deciding to simply describe his personality and odd quirks, all of which endeared him to the detective, "a complex puzzle that I wish to solve,"

Ran came forwards and took a seat in front of him, eagerly listening, "Something like you told me back in London, then?"

Shinichi nodded with a soft smile playing up on his lips, "Aa. The both of you are really complex…"

"And?"

"He's quite smart too; I guess you could call him a genius,"

"Mou!" Ran laughed, "You were attracted to his mind first, weren't you?"

"Yes," Shinichi grinned unrepentantly, "though I suppose you could call him handsome too,"

_'Not that I really know how he looks like, but I could make out quite a few angular features and his blue-indigo eyes from our meetings together,'_ Shinichi mused,

While the conversation stalled after that due to their appointment with Sonoko, they vowed to continue it later.

* * *

Sure enough, every meeting thereafter was riddled with talks about their crushes, though in Shinichi's case, it was love. They never mentioned names, but with all they talked about it seemed pretty much redundant.

For some reason, they'd both simultaneously decided not to tell each other any names. While talking to each other about them, Ran called her crush Ao-kun (For his eyes, she said) and Shinichi decided to call KID as Kai (From the Kai of Kaitou Kid).

_"…He's a performer,"_

_"Performer?"_

_"Yes, he's in the Drama Club at Uni, too,"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Hmm…what about your guy?"_

_"He's an entertainer…of sorts. Plays the piano quite well."_

_"Really? Ao-kun does too! He's quite good at poker too, though I still think he cheats!"_

_"Ran! Everyone cheats at poker! Kai does too, but sometimes I think that it is just his abundant luck giving him the winning hand…"_

It had been mere skills and the physical characteristics at first. Shinichi had not been able to tell Ran much except that KID had eyes the shade of indigo (Ao-kun does too!) while Ran had told him quite a bit about her crush. His propensity for acting, gymnastic athleticism – courtesy of his mop wielding friend – something that the detective had not understood at all and strange likeness to Shinichi himself. Apparently they were similar not only in facial features, but also height and weight!

Soon after, they delved deeper…

_"…Ao-kun loves chocolate; I don't think I've ever seen someone eat so much chocolate in one sitting before!"_

_"I have, Kai adores chocolate too – chocolate milk, chocolate parfait, chocolate cakes, chocolate ice-cream. I swear, if he could, he would live and breathe chocolate!"_

_"Yeah? He sounds interesting. And how did he take it when you told him that the only sweet you could binge on was lemon pie?"_

_"He told me it was a blasphemy… I guess you and Ao-kun must get along well with your love for sweets,"_

_"We do! We're going to go on a sweet eating spree next weekend."_

_"Ooh, like a date?"_

_"Shinichi! No, as friends; Hakuba-kun and his girl-friend, Nakamori-san, are coming along too."_

_"Oh, so a double date then?"_

_"Mou, Shinichi!"_

_"Okay, okay… Geez! Besides, I have to meet him before you go out with him on a date, remember?"_

_"Of course, Sonoko said that too. Best friend rights to threaten him or something…"_

Neither Ran nor Shinichi had gone out with either of their 'crushes' yet, with Ran still on the stage of getting to know each other as friends and Shinichi having not even seen KID since months.

_"…He's got a real cheerful personality and has quite the reputation as a trouble-maker and prankster! Keeps flipping Aoko-san's skirt too!"_

_"Aoko-san?"_

_"Ao-kun's childhood friend and Hakuba-kun's girlfriend; that near look-alike of mine I was telling you about. I've been getting along with her quite well too,"_

_"Flipping her skirt, you say? You don't approve then?"_

_"Of course not! Though…Hakuba-kun tells me it's something of a tradition between them, ever since middle school. But's he an overall nice guy, you know. Apart from the skirt flipping thing!"_

_"I'm sure you'll break him off that habit once you start seeing him,"_

_"Naturally!"_

_"Well, Kai is actually quite the gentleman. He's mischievous, of course, and likes fooling around, but gentlemanly at the same time. A little contemplative and makes a good conversationalist in philosophical matters too,"_

_"You too really mesh well!"_

_"You think so?"_

_"Of course, he sounds like a great guy! One day you'll have to introduce me to him,"_

_"Hmm, maybe Ran, one day, maybe…"_

Talking about KID with Ran helped Shinichi quite a lot.

They say 'Out of sight, out of mind'; yet that wasn't quite true for the detective. He'd expected to fall out of love with Kid now that they no longer saw each other, just like his continued distance with Ran had changed their inclination towards each other.

But instead, the correct idiom might be 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder'. Because the more time he spent away from the thief, telling Ran all he learnt about him during their time together as they planned to take down the Black Organisation, the deeper he fell in love with him.

The man might not be there, but just recounting all the instances they'd sat together on rooftops chatting with each other or spent time drinking coffee as they put forth ideas to capture Snake, it made Shinichi remember what a delight it had been to simply _be_ with KID.

_"…Kai dislikes fish. I think he has ichthyophobia, but he's not really confirmed it verbally,"_

_"Then how do you know?"_

_"Detective."_

_"Oh. Right. Of course, Mr Deduction Freak has to deduce **everything** he can set his eyes on,"_

_"Of course, with such an exquisite puzzle before me, how can I resist?"_

_"And how did Kai-kun take that? Being called a puzzle?"_

_"I think he liked it, being called an unsolvable mystery. The unsolvable part more than mystery, of course. Said he'd keep me guessing forever that way,"_

_"That's so romantic!"_

_"I don't know, Ran…did he mean it in the romantic sense? Or did he say it just because I'm a detective?"_

_"So you don't know if he likes you that way?"_

_"No, do **you** know if Ao-kun likes you romantically?"_

_"Well, no…we're just friends for now. And I have a huge crush on him, but I don't yet know if he's good boyfriend material. Or if he thinks **I'm** good girlfriend material,"_

_"Don't worry, Ran. You're a smart, beautiful, loyal, strong girl. There's hardly a person who wouldn't like an angel like you,"_

_"Thanks Shinichi… But, that aside, you're a detective. Shouldn't you know if Kai-kun likes you?"_

_"It doesn't work that way, does it? I can deduce if it is others, but when it comes to myself…the heart gets involved too and then everything becomes confusing. It was the same with you, remember?"_

_"Yes... You sound like you're in love, Shinichi,"_

_"Maybe I am, would that be so bad?"_

_"No, but it would hurt if you didn't tell him. He doesn't know that you like him that way, does he?"_

_"No. But, I don't know if he even considers me like that. For now, I'm focusing on maintaining friendship,"_

_"He's a student at Kyoto Uni?"_

_"No, not at Uni, just a friend I met at a case…that long case I was missing for,"_

_"Oh…"_

What Shinichi had told Ran was true. He didn't know if KID liked him that way; in fact he was nearly sure that KID _didn't_. After all, the thief had only ever known him as seven year old Edogawa Conan. Developing romantic feelings for a child? Not possible.

Even if KID had confessed that he liked the challenge Conan provided at heists, and that the child was KID's favourite detective, it surely wasn't because he was attracted to him. It couldn't be.

Could it?

_"…Ao-kun can juggle really well. I once saw him juggle four smiley balls, one wrist watch, a plate, two paper weights and an apple together! And he has a really good sense of balance. Pity it all goes to waste on the ice rink,"_

_"He can't ice-skate?"_

_"Not even to save his life. Aoko-san and Hakuba-kun love poking fun at him about it!"_

_"Ha! A great sense of balance that desserts him on the ice, eh?"_

_"Yeah…it's kind of cute. I tried to teach him, of course, but it's no use."_

_"Kai loves any kind of card games. He's great at them, mostly because he cheats of course, but still, he has great luck at them. Even mah-jong."_

_"Ao-kun hasn't beaten **me** at mah-jong yet! Though Hakuba-kun always loses pitifully, and Aoko-san doesn't really prefer to play,"_

_"Well, **you** have an inordinate amount of luck too. It should be illegal to have so much luck!"_

_"You're just saying that because I always win at mah-jong!"_

_"What else does he play? Any sport?"_

_"No, mostly indoor games. Table-tennis, billiards – though he is hopeless at that, Hakuba-kun is quite good at it though – numerous card games, carom, bowling… though he is a huge soccer fan, like this one idiot I know,"_

_"Hey! Soccer is fun!"_

_"Yeah, well, at least he doesn't go on and on about what he loves like a certain Holmes nut,"_

_"Hmph!"_

_"And what about Kai-kun?"_

_"Kai…he plays a bit of base-ball, card games and darts. He's very good at darts. Not much at chess, or shogi. I rather like seeing him lose at that, for all the times he's cheated at billiards!"_

_"Cheated at billiards?"_

_"You don't want to know, Ran, you don't want to know… He's not much of a soccer fan though, but I might be the cause of that mainly,"_

_"He doesn't like soccer because of you? What did you do? Bore him to death by reciting its greatness?"_

_"Well, that's a long story, and not one I think you'd believe either…"_

By now, listening to Ran talk about this 'Ao-kun', Shinichi was sure that the attraction she had was developing into something more. What he couldn't understand was… why did he get a foreboding feeling because of it?

_"…Ao-kun wants to follow in his father's footsteps, take the stage one day. I think he really idolises his father,"_

_"That's a good ambition to have. Kai wanted to go professional too. Not immediately, but in a few years, I think,"_

_"Yes. Shinichi…I think I'm falling for him. I'm not sure yet, it's only been a few months since I've known him, but I think…I think I want to give it a try with him,"_

_"Have you asked him yet?"_

_"No, no yet; I still don't know if he thinks of me like that. I'm not even sure that **I** think of him like that. And he's a nice friend, if I ask him and he says no…things might become awkward,"_

_"Only if you let it be. You're only **thinking** of a relationship right now, you're not too deeply involved. I think it's the right time to ask,"_

_"Can you come with me? I want you to meet him; deduce if he likes me…anything! As a detective, you could do that, right? Use small clues to figure people out?"_

_"Sure, Ran, if you want me too. I want to meet him before you go out with him anyway."_

_"We'll be going to the flower viewing at the end of this month. You could come then, I could introduce you to Hakuba-kun and Aoko-san at the same time,"_

_"Of course, I'll be there. I am very interested to meet this Ao-kun…"_

And the date had been fixed. At the end of the month, Shinichi would be visiting Tokyo once more, to meet Ran's new friends from college and her crush.

Ran had professed an interest to meet 'Kai', but that unfortunately, was impossible. Shinichi had carefully distracted her from that topic to instead talk about 'Ao-kun'.

The detective was happy that Ran had found someone. Whether the relationship would bloom or not was different, but Ao-kun seemed like a nice person and would be a good friend to her if not boyfriend.

Shinichi was highly anticipating their meeting. Something told him that it would be quite…interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story's primary focus will be the relationship between Kaito and Shinchi, but it will have plenty of other views to it. Such as conversations between Shinichi and Ran, Shinchi and Heiji, Kaito and Aoko, Kaito and Hakuba. The Detective Boys are going to make an appearance too, as is Haibara. Plenty of people are going to be involved and all of them will be given equal importance and value.
> 
> Please do not think that I'm undermining any character, or that I'm doing Kaito and Shinichi and their relationship an injustice. The plot itself is such that many others will have to take on more than a simple side-role.
> 
> That said, if any readers have complaints or suggestions if they feel that the story is moving away from its intended genre - Romance - please let me know. I primarily write Mystery and Adventure and Friendship genres. Romance is a new territory for me. Any tips would be helpful.
> 
> Please be generous and free with your comments.


	2. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroba and Kudo meet. KID's identity comes to light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, chapter two here. Yes, as you can see, my updates are more frequent currently. Not going to stay that way though. Expect a sudden silence from me as soon as my exams really begin.
> 
> Also, I do hope people are enjoying the story. I'm a bit concerned since this is the first time I'm writing full-fledged angst+romance fic. No idea how I'm doing, but I do hope it's enjoyable.
> 
> So, do be kind and leave a comment, yes?

"You could choose no other place, could you?" Shinichi asked as the Sakura blossoms swirled in the air and around them, "This is romantic. Why am I even here? You could have introduced me at some café, or something. Watching the two of you get cosy – along with Hakuba and _his_ girlfriend – is going to be awkward. What am I? The third wheel? Fifth wheel? Seriously, Ran…"

"Shush, Shinichi!" Ran hushed him, "I'm not asking him out today, only introducing the two of you and let you make your deductions. Free rein, see?"

Shinichi sighed.

"Besides, you'll get along really well with Hakuba-kun, I know," Ran paused then, "Oh. I keep forgetting you've already met him as Conan."

Shinichi grinned, "Yeah, I have, but meeting him as Shinichi is going to be different. Still, did you have to choose such a grand place?"

"Getting jealous, Shinichi?" Ran teased, "Or is it disdain? Thinking it doesn't match up to the Big Ben?"

"Naturally," Shinichi puffed up his chest proudly, winking at her, "My grand gestures are always breath-taking, you must admit."

Ran giggled, "I definitely enjoyed the Tropical Land fountain that activated when we stood at the centre and the car ride in New York with your mom took a few years off my life, but the Big Ben was pure _co-incidence_. Co-incidence, I tell you!"

"Was not!"

"Definitely was! And Kuroba-kun is just as keen on big gestures as you are!"

"Already thinking about where he's going to confess?"

"Mou, Shinichi! I told you that this is not certain. That's what you're here for, right? To see if he likes me that way…"

"Hai, hai,"

The two of them came to a stop under a huge Sakura tree, the meeting spot that had been decided upon, waiting for Ran's friends to arrive.

* * *

A girl, looking bizarrely like Ran – Nakamori Aoko, Shinichi's mind supplied – was chasing a teen who looked quite like Shinichi. That, the Heisei Holmes realised, must have been Ran's crush.

'Ao-kun' was laughing as he dodged away from his childhood friend's swinging fists, running up to them and ducking behind Ran. Keeping his hands on her shoulder, he peeked out, sticking out his tongue at the girl.

"Ran-chan, get away from him!" Aoko growled, "I'm going to throw him into the koi pond!"

"Nooo, Aoko, anything but that!" the boy pleaded, mischief dancing in his eyes.

Already, Shinichi felt uncomfortable. He also had the sudden urge to tell the guy to get his hands off Ran, which was absurd because he no longer liked her that way and if all went well, Ran was soon going to enter a relationship with him.

"Maa, maa, Aoko-san," Ran placated, "What did he do this time?"

"Dyed my hair green," Hakuba said, making his appearance at last.

And Shinichi couldn't help but stare, because, truly, it was _green_. Hakuba Saguru's blond locks were green. Green.

Shinichi snorted.

As everyone's gaze suddenly turned upon him – Aoko's mouth doing a passable imitation of a fish's, while Hakuba looked like he was visiting his worst nightmare – Shinichi bowed politely.

"Two Kuroba's?" Hakuba muttered faintly, "Good God!"

"Ah," Shinichi chuckled, "not quite. Allow me to introduce myself; I'm Kudo Shinichi, a detective."

The other teen – Kuroba – groaned slightly, while Hakuba turned speculative.

"The Great Detective of the East?"

"You've met Heiji, I presume, Hattori Heiji," Shinichi smirked.

"Yes, unfortunately,"

Hakuba held out his hand, which Shinichi accepted. A moment passed, then –

"Fencing?"

Hakuba smirked, "Violinist?"

"Horrors of horrors," Kuroba sighed dramatically, "Another Sherlock Holmes fan,"

"How do you know he's a Holmes fan?" Aoko asked, confused.

Curious to hear his reasoning, both detectives refrained from answering.

"That was Holmes famous test to find out a person's profession," Kuroba replied, "And that's also how he guessed – sorry, _deduced_ – Watson's."

"True," Hakuba narrowed his eyes, "you certainly know your Holmes trivia. I didn't know you were aware of it, did you read?"

"No! I've had enough of your deductions, no need to read anymore! A friend told –" Kuroba stopped abruptly, leaving his sentence unfinished. Suddenly changing tactics, he bowed in front of Shinichi, "Anyway, I'm Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire!"

"Magician?" Shinichi repeated in surprise, and at his questioning glance, he elaborated, "Ah, Ran mentioned you were in the Drama Club. I'd presumed you were an aspiring actor,"

"No," Ran shook her head with a smile, "I said performer, as in, magician."

"And I'm Nakamori Aoko," the girl smiled at him, "Ran-chan talks quite a bit about you. And Aoko's heard about Kudo-kun form Otou-san; you're a very famous detective,"

"Thank you," Shinichi grinned at her.

After introductions were over and done with, the five of them decided to first visit the shrine and then get a place to sit and relax. Occupying one of the tables placed near a food stall, Aoko and Ran went off to buy a few plates of okonomiyaki, yakisoba and a couple of ramen bowls.

Shinichi and Hakuba immediately delved into a conversation of Sherlock Holmes, with Kuroba interjecting now and then.

"I wouldn't call that canon," Shinichi scowled when Kuroba mentioned Arsène Lupin outwitting Holmes, "Maurice Leblanc used the character without Conan Doyle's permission,"

"Pay him no mind," Hakuba advised, "he'd support the thief over the detective any day,"

"Oi!" Kuroba huffed, "How many times do I tell you, KID-sama is no mere thief!"

"Oh what, pray tell, is he then?" Hakuba asked sardonically, entering what seemed to be the beginning of an age old argument.

Shinichi immediately felt like he was missing something about this conversation.

"He is a magician first and foremost. Or have you not noticed that he always returns what he steals?" Kuroba retorted.

"You're a KID fan, then?" Shinichi asked, amused.

"The greatest!"

"Hmm, you might have to compete with Sonoko for that title, Suzuki Sonoko that is," Shinichi told him.

"She wins," Hakuba declared with a snort, earning a glare form Kuroba, "she wins, hands down. No doubt about it."

"You seem pretty sure," Shinichi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh believe me, I'm positive –"

"Hakuba!" a glower from Kuroba.

"– Suzuki-san is definitely KID's biggest fan, no competition,"

Before they could debate further upon it, the girls arrived with the food and the topic was left alone.

* * *

Shinichi couldn't deny the charisma Kuroba had; he could see why Ran had fallen for him or was beginning to fall for him, at least. Apart from the fact that was handsome – and that might be narcissism rearing its head, seeing how similar the both of them looked – Kuroba was all smiles and cheer and witticisms packed into one genius, hyperactive, nineteen year old young man.

He could hold a conversation with Shinichi about various different books, the properties of belladonna (A highly poisonous herb used in both cosmetics and medicine), discuss old and archaic Roman architecture and successfully hold his own in a three-way debate between himself, Shinichi and Hakuba on the merits and legalities of recently proposed bill (The Court had been leaning more towards over-ruling it, but that was another matter).

So; well read and opinionated, with a good head on his shoulders, Shinichi had only good feelings about Ran and Kuroba getting into a relationship. From what he'd seen, Kuroba seemed to possess at least a little bit of attraction towards Ran – who wouldn't? Shinichi knew all too well what a charming woman she was – and might even be enthusiastic to date her.

Only…

 _'He gives me an odd feeling,'_ Shinichi thought as he watched Kuroba produce flower after flower from numerous hidden pockets and decorate a giggling Aoko-san's hair, ' _I feel as if I've met him before…he seems familiar, and that is odd…'_

Because Kuroba was nothing if not memorable. Shinichi was sure that if he'd ever come across the teen – while working on a case or on a school trip, because he'd certainly not encountered him as Conan – he'd never be able to forget him.

Wait… Conan?

Shinichi gulped, anxiety crawling up his throat as he fought to maintain a placid expression on his face.

"Are you alright, Kudo-kun?" Hakuba asked in a concerned tone, gaining the attention of the others.

Ran immediately turned to face him and Kuroba stopped putting more flowers in Aoko's hair – she looked quite like the Goddess Persephone already.

"Shinichi?"

"I'm fine, Ran," Shinichi attempted a smile,

She frowned and pulled him aside, muttering excuses to her college friends.

At a safe distance, she asked him, "Are you sure? It's not some side-effect of the cure suddenly surfacing, is it?"

Guilt immediately overcame Shinichi; he hadn't meant to worry her needlessly.

Adopting a much more natural smile, he reassured her, "No, no, Ran. I'm fine. It's been months since I took the cure! Nearly a year, even. If there were any side-effects, it wouldn't be making itself known _now_."

She smiled back in return, "If you say so, Shinichi…"

"I do," he asserted, "Now, why don't you go and re-join them, while I take a bathroom break, okay?"

Convinced, Ran agreed and went back to her friends where Kuroba started decorating _her_ hair now – Aoko's was quite filled already. Ignoring the brief flash of pain – dammit, he wasn't even sure! – Shinichi made his way to the toilets. Thankful at finding it deserted, he leant against the wash basin, turning the spout on and splashing his face before letting the water run its course, providing a soothing background noise to compliment his tumultuous thoughts.

 _'Okay, Shinichi, calm down,'_ he urged himself, _'let's look at the facts chronologically,'_

Retreating into safer territory, his mind and fast paced deductive reasoning, he felt his heart rate going down. Logic, as always, was reliable and never failed to deliver the truth. And since there is only one truth, Shinichi would have to face it – be it pleasant or not.

* * *

Fact: Ran called him 'Ao-kun' because of his eyes.

Shinichi, as Conan, had been close enough to see that KID had blue-indigo coloured eyes.

Fact: Kuroba was a magician and also in the Drama Club at Tokyo University.

Shinichi knew that Kaitou Kid was a magician, he had to be, and that he was a master of disguise. Acting came with the territory; he'd seen enough examples of how talented an actor a disguise master could be by living with his mother and facing Vermouth.

Conjecture: Kuroba might live close by, possibly in Tokyo, if he'd chosen to attend Tokyo Uni instead of another.

Reasoning: Hakuba knows him from high school, and the blond _does_ live in Tokyo, lending credibility to the fact Kuroba and he know each other since they meet on a regular basis. Thus, Kuroba must live in Tokyo too.

Shinichi disregarded that last thought process since it was nowhere useful to him in his current focus of consideration.

Fact: Kuroba plays the piano and is very good at poker.

Shinichi knew that KID did too. They'd also played a duet once, with KID on the piano and himself on his violin.

Fact: Kuroba is quite fond of chocolate.

KID is too.

Fact: Kuroba has a tendency to play pranks.

KID had told Conan often that he loved trolling the KID Task Force and attacking them with prank materials than any harmful weapon.

Fact: Kuroba was good at juggling, had a great sense of balance and played a lot of indoor games. Terrible at billiards, master at sleight of hand to cheat at card games and a soccer fan.

KID was brilliant at juggling; he did it quite unconsciously at times from what Conan had seen; and the sense of balance did not even need to be questioned.

Sleight of hand? He was _thief_ , enough said.

A soccer fan… KID had proclaimed his dislike of the sport enough times after Conan had gotten the soccer-inflating-belt from the Hakase.

But Kuroba _liked_ soccer?

Inconsistency: Dislike for soccer.

Conjecture: Recent change in opinion?

Reasoning: … … …

"There's no reason I can come up with," Shinichi murmured to himself, "Does that mean that Kuroba is not KID?" Then Shinichi shook his head, "Wait, these are small things that many people may have in common, it's not enough to build upon…"

Fact: Kuroba is nineteen years old.

Shinichi knew that the Moonlit Magician was closer to him in age than what the police believed. There had been a possibility, that Conan had entertained, that this KID was the legacy of the first.

Conjecture: Kuroba had taken upon the mantle after his predecessor passed away.

Reasoning: KID had spoken of the Black Organisation being after him because they refused to steal for them. It was possible that the Black Organisation had tried to kill the first KID for the same reason – and succeeded – but had no idea about it and were trying to finish off the job. Also, Kuroba's father was _no more_.

"No, co-incidence," Shinichi muttered, "That's not enough proof. I haven't ever seen KID's real face, or even shook hands with him. If that had been the case, it would be easy to find out by shaking hands with Kuroba now. The hand can never lie after all,"

Perhaps it was time to see this from a different angle? Also, considering the company he keeps…

Fact: Kaitou Kid's most known pursuers were Inspector Nakamori Ginzo and the varying Task Force members.

There were rumors that KID always knew what was going on within the Task Force and his ease in out-manoeuvring the traps laid for him, cementing the people's belief that he was a _Phantom_ Thief.

 _Nakamori_ Aoko was Kuroba's childhood friend and had to have access to her home and thus Nakamori-keibu.

Fact: Detective Hakuba Saguru was also known to have attended several KID Heists, and apart from the Kid Killer (A name that had amused Conan as much as it had exasperated him), was said to have come closest to catching him.

Shinichi had seen the interactions between the two teens. They seemed comfortable with each other, but every now and then Kuroba would do something that would irritate the other or Hakuba would put forth some inane comment that would make Kuroba annoyed.

Most of the times, Shinichi hadn't even understood which hidden nerve Hakuba had stepped on to make the cheerful magician cross or what was so aggravating about Kuroba's pranks that would make the normally composed blond so flustered.

But their seemingly baseless rivalry had a reason to it now.

What if…what if, Kuroba was Kaitou Kid?

A lot of things would make sense then.

Shinichi had never had any problems with thieves. Most of those he'd encountered stole because they were too poor and had a family to feed. Others were kleptomaniacs – an impulse control disorder that required treatment rather than a sentence in prison. And the rest of them – robbers who picked locks in the middle of the night to loot a rich man for profit or worse, bank robbers who terrorized and held patrons hostage to raid a bank – those were past the line of Shinichi's tolerance. They were criminals who needed to be caught and punished to show them the error of their ways.

Kaitou Kid had fallen into none of these categories. That was something that had flummoxed Conan at first, but after their second meeting at the Magic Lover's Murder Case, where the thief had done his utmost to help Conan instead of hindering him, the detective had known that thief was more than what he seemed.

Hakuba, on the other hand, Shinichi could see why he would not be pleased with the thief. KID, who whimsically went after big jewels and diamonds in a seemingly random manner, before _returning_ them – it would no doubt make Hakuba angry at the thief for wasting the police's precious _time_.

Shinichi had seen how OCD the other detective was about time at the Sunset Mansion Case and the Tantei Koushien Case. And for Hakuba, who didn't know the real reason behind KID's thieving like Conan did, it had to have been frustrating.

That was not all though. It was Hakuba's words,

_'…He'd support the thief over the detective any day…'_

_'…Oh believe me, I'm positive, Suzuki-san is definitely KID's biggest fan, no competition…'_

"Of course there was no doubt Sonoko was KID's greatest fan," Shinichi sighed, "if Kuroba is actually _KID himself_ ,"

Coupling all that with Shinichi's intuition and feeling that he'd met the magician before, there was only one conclusion he could come to. Because while Shinichi may be a detective, and relied heavily on facts and proof, it was not to say that there were so many times he'd played upon his hunches and instinctual reactions to pursue the truth and reveal the murderer. And here, instinct said that…

Kuroba Kaito is none other than Kaitou Kid.

* * *

When Shinichi returned to the others; a scant five minutes after his retreat into the rest room; his face was a mask of polite inquisitiveness as he asked Ran where they would be going next. The anguish that had consumed him at his realisation of Kuroba's hidden identity was nowhere to be seen, bottled tightly up inside him for now.

"We're planning to visit Beika Park now," Kuroba informed him with a smile, "There's been stalls put up, and Ran-san and Aoko want to have a go at darts,"

"Yes," Ran informed him, a gentle look of concern on her face, and a silent question – Was he okay? Did he want to accompany them? Or would he prefer to go home? – to which Shinichi grinned reassuringly.

"We have a bet," Aoko told him, slipping her hand into Hakuba's, "If I win, he's treating all of us to ice-cream,"

"Ha! As if I'm going to lose," Kuroba snorted arrogantly, a smirk dancing upon his lips and suddenly reminding Shinichi of KID's similar expression, "Come on, Kudo! When I win, Aoko's gonna treat us to free ice-creams! You can't turn down such a brilliant offer!"

"IF you win, Ba-Kaito, IF!" Aoko corrected with a smirk of her own.

"Of course I'll win, Aho-ko! You're never going to defeat me!"

Immersing himself into the mindless chatter, Shinichi went along with them, lagging behind with Hakuba as Aoko slipped away from him to link hands with Ran. Kuroba twirled around them to start walking backwards, performing an impromptu juggling show to entertain the girls, both of whom were smiling at him in wonder and amusement.

"I must admit," Hakuba began after a while, "that when Ran-san talked about her childhood friend 'Shinichi', I did not expect it to be you,"

Shinichi shrugged and grinned, pushing his thoughts of KID to the back of his mind to focus on his fellow detective, "Can't say the same. I've been hearing Ran's complaints at finding another Holmes nut for months now,"

Hakuba barked a laugh at that, "You're different from how I envisioned you,"

"And how was that?"

"Somewhat similar to Hattori, I suppose. But he was the only one who ever talked about you apart from Ran-san, and since I didn't think of Detective 'Kudo' and 'Shinichi' as the same person, my views were rather varied,"

"Nah," Shinichi dismissed with an easy laugh, "Heiji and I are only similar when it comes to our work. Apart from that, we're very different,"

"I can see that _now_ ,"

Shinichi chortled, falling into a teasing banter with Hakuba and finding it quite relaxing.

The other detective was not Heiji, the loud and in-your-face Osakan with an easy-going attitude and fiery personality, but he was pleasant nonetheless. The blond was quiet, a man of few words, but with a good humour and gentle affection – as Shinichi had gleaned from his interactions with his girlfriend – and would be a good friend to have.

"I've noticed you eye Kuroba speculatively," Hakuba said after a while.

Shinichi showed no outward reaction, wondering what he meant, _'Eye him as a prospective boyfriend for Ran or eye him as a possible candidate for KID? What is he talking about?'_

"I presume Ran-san asked you to?"

 _'Oh,'_ Shinichi realised, _'he's talking about my subtle questions and glances before I began to consider that he might be a certain thief I'd gained fondness for,'_

Shinichi hummed, "Was I that obvious?"

"To a detective?" Hakuba retorted, "Yes. Kuroba and Aoko-kun might simply think that Ran-san's brought a friend to introduce them to. But considering that I was the one to introduce her to Kuroba…"

"You were hoping they'd get together?"

"Yes," Hakuba admitted, "Kuroba's been rather – low, we could say – since the past few months. I thought a relationship might do him good. He's a social person by nature. New friends, if not girlfriend, would be helpful to say the least."

"And you know Ran from your encounters with her in the past, at cases,"

"Exactly," Hakuba nodded, "Ran-san is a lovely girl."

A beat of silence, then, "And, what is _your_ judgement?"

Shinichi wondered what to say.

On one hand, Kuroba was KID – the man he'd fallen in love with. Kuroba was Kaitou Kid, the person he's chased around when he masqueraded as a thief and Shinichi as Conan. KID, who was at first a simple thief to him, then a rival – an object of fascination – slowly a friend and trusted comrade and finally…

KID, whom he didn't know _so much_ about but wanted to.

KID, who did not know him at all…

Because, KID might know _Conan_ , but not Shinichi.

KID – Kuroba – who was surely interested in Ran and definitely hadn't looked twice at Shinichi.

What was he supposed to say? Because on one hand, Shinichi liked KID. But on the other, Ran liked Kuroba. Both were as similar as they were different.

There was no doubt in Shinichi's mind that Kuroba was Kaitou Kid. But from what he'd heard from Ran about 'Ao-kun', Kuroba was a whole different side to KID that he'd never known.

And Ran _did_.

' _But Ran doesn't know about KID, does she?_ ' A voice whispered in his mind.

But even as that thought formed, Shinichi squashed it. Even if Ran did not know about KID, there was always the possibility that Kuroba would tell her about it one day, if things got serious.

And wasn't that the thing? Ran and Kuroba were clearly interested in each other – there was _potential_ there.

_Kuroba did not even know Shinichi._

And that decided it for him.

Ignoring the brief flash of pain that blossomed within, Shinichi smiled. He knew that it came out pained, but it was the best he could do. This decision that he was making, was hurting him on a level that could be nearly physical if Shinichi did not know logically that it was all in his mind.

"Kuroba is a decent guy, certainly," Shinichi swallowed down his agony at having to say the next words, "He'd make a good boyfriend for Ran."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I've done a convincing job portraying Shinichi. And his deductions...hopefully the way he found out about Kaito being KID was believable enough.
> 
> Do let me know what you're thoughts are, yes?


	3. Confusions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito's point of view where he thinks of KID, Tantei-kun, Ran and love...and the sheer impossibility of life's happenings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fast update. But, chapter four will take its time coming out since I've not even begun it...
> 
> Also, happy Valentine's day!

After the ice-cream fest – Kuroba had won the bet – Shinichi had gone straight to his home at Beika, called out a distracted greeting to Hakase who was putting out the garbage and shut himself in his library.

He'd spent nearly an hour despairing over the fact that when he'd finally seen KID after their subsequent goodbye post the Black Organisation's take down, it had been as Kuroba Kaito – Ran's crush.

After venting out his frustrations on an innocent football, gulping down several mugs of coffee, moping around a bit more and generally trying to ignore his heartbreak, Shinichi decided to crack open one of his numerous Sherlock Holmes books. Ten minutes later, he'd still been staring blankly at the first page and he'd given it up as lost cause.

Usually, in such cases, the person he'd go to was Ran, but Shinichi didn't think he could bear to look at her face now without blurting out Kuroba's identity as KID – as 'Kai'. And that would ruin everything.

Ran had an opportunity to be _happy_ with Kuroba, and his selfish desires would only hurt the both of them, not to mention Kuroba. And Shinichi had no intention of hurting the two most important people in the world to him.

So, picking up the Conan glasses for old time's sake, he went over next door and rang the bell. Shinichi knew that Haibara wouldn't ask, wouldn't push him to tell her anything, unlike Ran.

And he needed that now. He needed her caustic remarks and acerbic personality to ground him. He needed to listen to her dry voice complaining about Hakase's sugar intake and the Detective Boys' most recent case. He needed to hear her demands that he buy her a new brand of lipstick or clutch-purse as a Christmas or Birthday gift.

Haibara was no Ran. But all that she was, she was his friend – a friend that understood parts of him that Ran couldn't even begin to comprehend. She'd seen him at his worst, at his weakest and never judged him. Similarly, he'd seen her at her lowest point and had helped her overcome it.

In that year as Conan, they'd built a bond together. A bond of friendship, of understanding, of compassion. And had he not feared that Haibara would roast him over her Bunsen-burner (She certainly had threatened to do so once, despite Conan's arguments that it was logically impossible to _roast_ someone over it!), Shinichi might have even said – a bond of love. But he wouldn't of course, and neither would she – hopeless tsundere that she was.

The door opened, "Kudo-kun."

Haibara gave him an unimpressed look at his state – clothes ruffled with a coffee stain on his shirt; face drawn, hair mussed, piercing gaze absent, Conan-glasses hanging limply in his hand, bare footed appearance – and Shinichi smiled sheepishly.

"Can I crash here tonight?"

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes before stepping out of the way, wordlessly giving her assent and allowing him entry.

* * *

Kaito had never been one to classify love.

Love was love, be it with a woman or man. Love was equally beautiful and sweet when you directed it towards your parents or your friends. Love was loyalty and care personified when it was showered on animals.

Kaito had fallen in love for the first time, when he was five and his father had gifted him his own, very first dove – whom he'd promptly named 'Shiro' despite his mother's snickers that it was a female and refused to change it. Shiro remained, to this day, the only female dove to have a masculine name and his most loyal companion.

Kaito had realised that he could never grow to love some things in life when he was six and the neighbour's cat had scratched him for daring to pet it. They'd remained friends…no, perhaps acquaintances, but Kaito had never loved the cat again. Especially not since it climbed the wall between their houses and started eating his dinner (A fish!) in his direct line of sight.

And then he'd met Aoko.

Their friendship had blossomed slowly but steadily, with a lot of clashing of opinions, but there was always magic to smooth out any ruffles that conflict caused. That was when the admiration and awe Kaito had for magic had turned into love.

Magic was this wonderful, beautiful, magnificent thing that could bring joy and happiness and sort out any and all problems. Kaito firmly believed that and his love held strong despite losing his father in an accident while performing magic (That he would later learn wasn't an accident, but that's another matter) and that was when Kaito knew that magic – magic was his one true love.

Magic, who'd never deserted him when he was sad and grieving for his father. Magic, who'd brought a smile to his face even when tears flowed out of his eyes. Magic, that could cheer him up because of all the happy memories he'd created with it. Magic, that reminded him of his father and all the tricks he'd been taught by him.

Kaito had never thought he could love anything else, or anyone else, like he loved magic. He was proven wrong though, when Aoko had begun occupying a similar position in his heart.

He tried to test the boundaries of this 'love'; teasing Aoko, flipping her skirt, making her the target of his pranks, criticising her cooking – all the while gently producing happy smiles out of her by presenting her with a rose, braiding her hair, letting her pet his doves – and throughout it all, she'd stayed.

Instinctively knowing that Kaito was only grieving and lashing out due to Kuroba Toichi's death, she'd stayed and accepted it all. And Kaito had loved her for it.

He'd loved her acceptance of him, odd personality quirks and all. He'd loved her constant chattering that diverted his attention from reminiscing about his father and turning morose. He'd loved the attention she paid to him, always genuinely in awe of his magic; despite the numerous times she's seen it.

He'd loved her retaliation when he crossed his boundaries, because that meant she saw him as a friend and would treat him as such, and was not just tolerating him due to pity. He'd loved the way she would call out loudly every morning to treat him to hard toast and sweetened milk – cooking she was definitely improving on, but not quite yet there.

Kaito had loved her since he was eight, but only truly realised it at sixteen when the painting had given away to reveal an underground room full of knick-knacks that should have belonged to a Kaitou Kid showroom. He still loved her when he realised that he would have to choose between KID and revenge and justice, or Kuroba Kaito and teen magician and best friend.

He'd chosen KID, but he'd loved her every step of the way.

Then, Hakuba had entered the picture. And even though they competed for Aoko's affections, which Kaito was 99.99% sure he would win, he knew that he'd keep Aoko waiting till the time the Black Organisation had been brought down – a date he wasn't sure of.

And that wasn't fair. To either of them.

So, Kaito had let go.

Kaito had told her very succinctly not to wait for him, because no matter how much he loved her, he couldn't do that to her.

It had been more than year since he'd donned on the KID top-hat and cape, trying to get his father's murderers caught but he'd made little to no progress. Pandora continued to be elusive, hidden from himself as well as the Black Organisation, so that was one good thing at least. But progress on catching the men in black? Not at all.

Aoko had remained unattached for a long time, till the end of their high school life at least, but by then even if the Black Organisation had been down, Kaito had no longer loved her _that_ way. And Aoko soon realised, that neither did she.

* * *

Kaito had never differentiated love.

Letting Aoko go had been hard and painful, but necessary. He still loved her, just not romantically.

And thus, for the first time, Kuroba Kaito had fallen out of love.

It was okay though. His first love – magic – was still with him, as it shall always be. And that was fine. Everything would be…fine. Not immediately, but soon…he would be fine.

But with the end of his first love, _romantic_ love, Kaito was only more aware that nothing else could match up to her.

There would be no second chances, because where else could he ever find someone who accepted him so wholeheartedly? Where could he find someone that could look past his poker face, like Aoko had once done when they were eight years old, and see the naked truth behind it? Where could he find a person that acknowledged his thieving ways – his night-job as Kaitou Kid – and still love him for it?

Not his fans, no, certainly not. They were fans of _KID_ , and nothing else. It would matter little to them who the person behind KID was – Kuroba Toichi, Konosuke Jii or Kuroba Kaito. So, fans were out of the question.

Who else then? A detective?

Because that was the be all and end all of KID's acquaintances. If not his fans, then his detectives, because the owners of his targets were usually either a) fans of KID and thus out of question or b) hated KID for trying to steal their property.

Hence, Kaito reached to the conclusion that it was the end of the line for him. No more romantic entanglements, no finding the 'single most precious jewel' – as his mother liked to re-tell him countless times every time she told him about his father's confession – no…second chance at love.

And then, he'd met Edogawa Conan.

* * *

Kaito had never discriminated on love.

Edogawa Conan had been a challenge, a rival, a detective worth his respect even though he'd been a kid. A freaking seven year old kid. _A kid._

God, the Kid Killer moniker – the 'It takes a kid to stop the KID' jokes had grown old very soon for the magician – given to his tiny tantei, had been embarrassing to Kaito. A child had outwitted him? He, the great Kaitou Kid, had been out done by a mere child? Impossible.

Possible.

Because that one time Kid had been surprised by Conan, at Suzuki-san's Black Star Heist, did not stick to _one time_.

 _Every_ single time they clashed, the detective took away with him a tiny chunk of KID's pride and arrogance along with reluctant respect. But soon, very soon, the reluctance had been replaced by admiration.

Edogawa Conan had, where everyone else had failed, managed to gain the title of his 'favourite detective'.

And the reason for it was very simple. Conan was _different_.

He was no mere detective who blindly pursued a criminal with single minded focus to bring them down. He cared to know the reason behind the crimes, and appreciated the fact that some mysteries should remain as mysteries. He hid secrets just as equally as he revealed them and understood that sometimes silence was needed instead of the truth.

He _understood_.

And even though the boy was a detective and therefore his natural enemy, Kaito had started to slowly but surely care for him. Care for him more than he cared for his other detectives, that is – not that he'd ever admit to Hakuba that he cared for the blond.

And when Conan had suggested teaming up to bring down the organisation, he'd been shocked. The main reason for said shock was the realisation that Tantei-kun was involved with _Them_. The little kid was involved in such a dangerous case and was in fact quite ahead of him in bringing them to justice.

He'd refused at first. It might have been his ego speaking then – not wanting to collaborate with a _child_ – and refusing to take orders from a detective. Because he knew that Tantei-kun would definitely be the one running the show and that would just not do. _Nuh-uh._

Besides, KID worked alone. That one forced heist with Nightmare notwithstanding – the whole case had been nightmare inducing really, and given him an eye-opening insight as to what Hakuba and Conan-kun worked on instead of going about their life as normal teenagers – KID did not follow _anyone_. Least of all detectives.

But even Kaito had to give in when the snipers started making an appearance at Jirokichi-san's Heists. Those heists were supposed to be the safest since it hardly ever involved any big jewels that Snake was after.

But, as he'd said, Kaito knew his limits at least. If Tantei-kun was offering to join forces to bring them down, offering _help_ – he couldn't turn it down when he knew it was required.

He'd agreed.

Surprisingly, KID came to the realisation that he'd not truly known his littlest detective as well as he'd liked to boast about. The kid was not the only one after _Them_ , the freaking _FBI_ were too.

And the shocker had been the way those foreign agents had listened to him, a child. Then, Kaito knew he'd seen it all. FBI agents taking _orders_ from a seven (soon to be eight) year old primary schooler – And was that blonde woman actually calling him _Boss_?

Right… as he'd said, Kaito had seen about everything now.

So, KID had joined forces with Tantei-kun and the FBI. The pact about the FBI not catching him, or trying to do so, for KID was an _international_ criminal, just made the deal sweeter. Of course, the fact that they themselves were conducting an illegal investigation in Japan may have something to do with it.

Also, Edogawa Conan was perfectly fine with it. Breaking and entering to get clues or evidence? No problem. Identity theft and impersonation to extract sensitive information? Done. Obstructing the course of justice by giving false witness statements when required? Of course!

It was wrong.

It was illegal.

It was required.

It was okay.

It was _accepted_.

And what more could have Kaito asked for?

* * *

The following months were filled with creating plans upon plans, setting up tricks upon tricks and enacting devious scheme upon devious scheme – and Kaito would now have to eat up his words about detectives not being creative, because _damn,_ Tantei-kun _rocked_!

While KID had done a spectacular job of luring his opponents out on the playing field during his heists, hoping that the police would take note, the detective's way of approaching this case had been more successful. It was not to say that KID's work was useless – it had helped them identify a whole new faction of the Black Organisation they'd been unaware of, even with their numerous inside sources – but it certainly hadn't been the best way to go about capturing them.

Helping out the FBI by providing information had been his only job. Or so the FBI thought.

Tantei-kun, it seemed, was even further ahead of the FBI agents when it came to investigating the case. Kaito knew he had other sources of information that the FBI had been unaware of, and now KID was going to be one of them.

"I'm not going to ask you to tell me anything you don't wish to," Conan had said diplomatically.

It made Kaito wonder how many times he'd told the same sentence to others and how many of those 'others' were criminals.

"Only what you can," the detective continued, "And anything that you might think will help. It can be a small, insignificant matter and seem completely worthless, but may turn out to be a huge clue."

And for the first time, Kaito had felt hope stir up inside him.

Because here was someone taking the initiative to be so thorough while at the same time, considerate. And for that consideration, he'd gladly agree to let _this_ detective handle the case.

Perhaps…perhaps his father's murder would be avenged finally.

* * *

His time spent with Conan hadn't only been case related. Most of it was, but not all. Sometimes, the detective would call up at odd times throughout the day (On a separate number KID had given him for the duration of their partnership) to ask him inane things,

_"If you had to pick a place to visit, out of Japan, what would it be?"_

_"How many languages do you know? Can you speak French?"_

_"Blue or brown?"_

_"Do you have a preference for wine?"_

Many of the questions had thrown him for a loop and when asked, Conan had said that it was needed for the case and a couple of them were just to satisfy his curiosity.

They'd debated on the finer points of lock picking, forgery and make-up. Talked about famous authors and inspiring poets. Discussed about KID switching his focus to artworks instead of jewels – something _both_ of them agreed wasn't a good idea; Kaito, because jewels were more pretty and shiny and couldn't hold a candle to some old, moulding bust (They're not moulding!) of some old historian or Greek Goddess and Conan, because any kind of thieving is _bad_ and he shouldn't be doing it at all.

_"…Anything you like to do apart from thieving? I mean, there must be something you do as a hobby, right?"_

_"Magic."_

_"And apart from that?"_

_"Hmm, I don't suppose fowl rearing counts?"_

_"Doves are not **fowl** ,"_

_"Bird rearing then,"_

_"No, doesn't count,"_

_"Gah, how about card games? That's not specifically related to magic…"_

Their talks had never turned personal, but it toed the line quite often. They'd talked about hobbies and favourite sport teams (Kaito had vehemently refused liking soccer or anything related to it, claiming that Conan had put him off it forever).

They'd played chess and billiards and poker. Thrown darts and kicked footballs at each other. And not everything was a smooth sailing, but it had been _fun_.

_"…Let's have a race, Tantei-kun,"_

_"Race to what?"_

_"First one to steal my latest target wins,"_

_"I'm not **stealing** anything!"_

_"Well, I'm going to be stealing it regardless. My heist note is already out, so why not join the mayhem?"_

_"Because my job is to **stop** that mayhem, not add to it!"_

_"Aww, you're such a spoilsport Tantei-kun…"_

Kaito had never been able to persuade the tiny detective to participate in such a race, but had found a willing assistant for performing any kind of magic trick during the pre-heist confusion. Kaito had also learnt how much Conan appreciated a well done magic trick then.

_"…Pick a card, Tantei-kun,"_

_"I already know this one, KID,"_

_"No, you don't. I'm not flaunting Thurston's principles around you ever again; once was enough. Now, pick a card,"_

_"It better not be easy or predictable,"_

_"You wound me, Tantei-kun. Shouldn't you know me better than that?"_

_"Fine, fine, show me the cards…"_

Conan was rather demanding on that front. Any hastily done trick, and like a true critic, he'd berate him about it and tease him mercilessly for days. That was not so often, quite rare, in fact. Because KID was nothing if not meticulous. And he'd hardly ever do the same trick twice, or an easy one – that was sacrilegious.

_"…I played pitcher once, for my school team. It was fun."_

_"You don't play any longer?"_

_"Nah, practising and perfecting my magic tricks takes a lot more time than you'd believe. Didn't have the time for it."_

_"I still play soccer with the 'Detective Boys' in the park. It's relaxing."_

_"Oh, those kids. Man, aren't they little hellions! I'm never inviting them to my heists again. Once was more than enough…"_

Their talks had turned philosophical a couple of times. And KID had to wonder if he was still talking to the same old Tantei-kun or not. But as well the meta-physical had been discussed, so had its scientific counterpart.

At these times, it was conveniently and convincingly easy to forget that Conan was a child. He was going through a similar situation to Kaito's and was probably the only one who could understand him.

* * *

And one day, when the both of them were relaxing in the Kudo house (You're sure the current resident won't mind? That Okiya Subaru guy?), Kaito had randomly decided to make some hot chocolate for himself and coffee for Conan-kun.

Never mind that kids shouldn't be having coffee, it was the only drink he'd agree to drink when it was just the two of them. KID supposed that was mainly because Mouri-chan refused to give him any, but he'd obliged regardless.

_"This is great…I love you, KID,"_

Conan had said it so reflexively as he'd sipped the heavenly drink; that Kaito had frozen. The detective had not even realised and perhaps that was good, because Kaito was sure that Tantei-kun had meant it in the cute way all children did. It was meant as thanks and possibly affection to a brotherly figure. Nothing more.

And Kaito had felt horrible.

Because, somewhere along the way…he'd grown to love Conan. Not as a little brother, but an equal. And that was…wrong.

Kaito may have never put a label on love, but even he knew that having romantic feelings for a _child_ was in no way right.

Unfortunately, his heart refused to believe so. The only good thing about it was, Kaito had not fallen for the physical aspect of Tantei-kun, but the mental. That brilliant mind behind his azure eyes had been what captured Kaitou Kid's attention and what had led Kuroba Kaito to fall in love with him.

For a detective, a mere critic as he'd once put it, Edogawa Conan was unpredictable.

His reactions to things were never what Kaito anticipated them to be and his understanding of some matters was even more profound than Kaito's. Conan-kun's level of attachment and compassion to animals and human alike, were on a whole different level than anyone Kaito had known, even though said compassion was usually too hidden to be noticed.

The detective's belief on right and wrong, his trust warring with his cynical personality, his dry and sarcastic humour, his loyalty to his friends, his view on justice, his ardent love for soccer, his enthusiasm for solving codes and mysteries, his ability to simply _care_ …

Edogawa Conan was a mystery. A mystery that Kaito wouldn't mind becoming a detective to solve.

And that was when his doubts had been confirmed. Kuroba Kaito had fallen in love for a second time, with none other than Tantei-kun.

And it was a love that wasn't meant to be.

* * *

After the Black Organisation had been taken down, or at least their part in it done and over with, Kaito had known that he'd never see the detective again. Or at least, not as KID.

As one final message before disappearing from Tantei-kun's life, he'd written him a letter, hidden inside one of Tantei-kun's favourite books in the Kudo library.

Never able to gather the courage to tell the detective about his feelings – because Tantei-kun might have been scarily smart for his age, but he was still a child and did not deserve to be burdened with such complex emotions at an age he couldn't even begin to comprehend them – he'd tried his best to convey his gratefulness via words on a paper.

Leaving out any salutations, because none of them fit or would be appropriate for the situation, he began simply –

_Tantei-kun,_

_As I sit down and think, able to count the days of my life that will pass by free from the darkness of the organisation, I'm surprised and relieved to find them numerous. And with that comes the realisation that all this would have been impossible without you._

_If I now recollect all that time we spent together, plotting and planning to take Them down, all I can remember is the awe on your face when I performed an excruciatingly complex magic trick and the delight that lit up your eyes when you drank the coffee I prepared specially for you. It seems, even in those times, where we worked from the shadows with our lives on the line, it is only the moments filled with light – with happiness, with **you** – that comes to mind._

_Reminiscing about it, we have truly talked about everything and nothing. So many odd things, meaningful things, ridiculous things…yet all of them are so clear in my mind._

_I could write down about our varied thoughts, that spiralled into conversations, on beauty and pride, empathy and expectations, faith and courage, immortality and death, justice and belief, honesty and lies, fate and destiny…but I fear I would be doing it an injustice._

_Should I wonder about how little we've talked that it barely fills a page, or how many diverse topics we've talked about that they are all so memorable? I shall go with the latter, I think…_

_If I could convey my appreciation to you, for all that you have done, I would feel it would be insufficient. But for all those minuscule moments of liberty I snatched away from Life's cruel hands, sharing it with you was a wonderful way to spend it._

_For solving the case and more importantly, for being a faithful friend, you have my utmost gratitude._

_Kaitou Kid._

Kaito had never expected a reply to his letter, but hearing about Edogawa Conan's return to America had been a terrible blow to him. It made sense, of course, that his parents would want him close now that the case was well and truly over. But it meant that Kaito would never even have a chance to see him again. Their phones now disconnected, all means of communication had vanished.

Kaito had despaired over his luck at finding love. He'd failed twice now and it hurt the second time as much as it had the first.

His only hope now was to fall out of love with Conan to save him more heartbreak.

Surely that would happen soon, now that he could no longer interact with the genius detective, right? That had been so when he'd fallen out of love with Aoko, it would be the same with Conan.

It had to be the same with Conan. It had to. Because if it didn't…

Kaito didn't think that mere magic would be able to console him this time.

* * *

Life at Tokyo University was nice. Kaito was in the same class as Aoko for all his classes, and one friendly face in a sea of strangers was always good to have.

He expected it be the same as high school, with him playing Court (Class) Jester and living a care-free life – at least on the front.

On the inside, his heart still yearned for Conan and his unique personality and thoughts that complimented Kaito's own. He was more than Kaito's object of affection; Tantei-kun was a wonderful individual and brilliant detective and one of the magician's closest friends. And not having access to that 'precious gem' of a person was what pained Kaito more than anything else.

But of course, being left alone to wallow in peace wasn't to be.

Hakuba Saguru – overall pest and Aoko's boyfriend – had noticed his moody disposition and decided to poke his overly large nose into matters that did not concern him. And when Aoko had gotten involved, Kaito had no choice but to agree to whatever hair-brained plan he was being dragged into by Hakuba.

"Allow me to introduce you," Hakuba had smiled in a vaguely threatening manner that said 'behave' as he pulled Kaito out from behind Aoko, "this is Mouri Ran-san. We attend law class together."

While Aoko stood a bit stupefied at their uncanny resemblance and Ran was looking at Kaito in surprise, Kaito's thoughts had taken a very different turn.

_This was Mouri Ran._

His first thoughts on her were Conan-kun's words – Beautiful, bright, happy, gentle, accepting Ran.

And then, realising just who the woman in front of him was – Conan-kun's sister in all but blood – Kaito smiled at her brilliantly, bowing and flicking his wrist to produce a flower from one of his numerous hidden pockets.

Accepting the white rose from him, Ran smiled gently, prettily at him – the same soft smile Conan would direct at Kaito when he performed his usual flower trick and presented him with a beautiful yellow rose. Absently, Kaito wondered if Conan had learnt that smile from Ran.

"It's nice to meet you, Ran-san,"

If Ran was surprised by his informal address, she did not show it and returned his greeting.

* * *

Kaito was not oblivious to the real reason Hakuba had introduced him to Ran. He was hoping that Kaito would take an interest in her, romantically, and get over his feelings for Conan. Not that Hakuba knew who Kaito's previous object of affection was; he just wished Ran would be his current one.

And that was very thoughtful of the blond, but it was not so easy for Kaito to let go of his love for Conan.

Deep inside his heart, the magician knew that Ran-san would never be able to match up to Conan-kun.

Mouri Ran, for all she was a compassionate human being, a close friend and a wonderful person, she just wasn't Conan-kun. He spent a lot of time with her though, hoping her presence in his life may one day change the friendly affection he had for her into love. With every passing day, he wondered if it might come to happen – if Ran-san could become his third love – but he was never sure.

She spoke of her classes with him, just as he shared his. They talked about their mutual friends, someone called 'Shinichi', and Kaito wondered if it was Conan-kun's cousin who lived in Beika. But for all their talks, they never once touched upon the topic of Conan.

Perhaps that was for the best, if Kaito was trying to move on from Conan. However, every moment he spent with her, only seemed to remind him more of the young detective. What was surprising was how little it hurt.

Ran-san was certainly entertaining and cheerful enough to distract him from his sadness, and all memories of Conan were now filled with gentle acceptance and growing fondness.

In talking to Ran, he might not fall out of love with Conan, but it certainly did not hurt any longer when he thought of his absence – Ran seemed to fill all those empty spaces reserved for pain in him, replacing it with joy.

This was what made him realise and understand why Ran had been held in so high a regard by Conan– She'd been Tantei-kun's ray of hope and happiness, his motivation.

If nothing else, Kaito would always love her for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaito's point of view here. How was it? Do let me know... Hope it is well received... Guys, please let me know! One comment- it will hardly take a minute! Okay? :)


	4. Friendly Interventions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talks. Angst. Mutual pinings. Bromance...maybe. New character introduced. No idea what I'm writing...comment?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hakuba's thoughts may be more scientific and blaise, uncaring to use words and descriptions that may be considered rude or impolite in present company. I'm just trying to show his fixature and perfectionism here, so don't take his musings as insults. He rarely means them as insults.
> 
> Also, the types of addresses between characters are all taken from Detective Conan Wiki. Apart from a few informal speeches, I've contained it all as canon as can be.

The meeting with Kudo Shinichi had definitely been memorable.

The Heisei Holmes was a deduction freak – in Ran-san's words, not his – and Kaito had felt like he was meeting Hakuba Part Two. Talking with him had certainly changed his mind though. Slightly.

If anything, Kudo was more like Conan than Hakuba. Which made sense, since they were supposed to be cousins, but still… Not only had the resemblance been uncanny – to Conan, not Kaito himself because that he'd already known from his talks with Ran-san – but also his mannerisms. Everything about him made Kaito think of his rival, which was odd. Because no matter their similarities, their differences were vast!

Discounting the age and height (Obviously!), there was the matter of eyesight, posture and body language. He was sure there plenty of other things that would jump out easily to detectives, but for a magician and master of disguise, those were the main points.

Kaito had made it a point to observe the way people talked and walked, their little habits which were subconsciously done, the over-looked facts that identified every person as unique. He'd studied them all before donning a disguise and now it was second nature to him to observe people.

While there had been no need or possibility to disguise as Conan, Kaito had observed the detective purely out of fascination. And Conan's and Kudo's posture and body language were so contrasting, that there was no reason for Kaito to feel as if he was Conan. Yet…

In the end, he'd ignored it. Hakuba kept Kudo enough company that Kaito had no need to integrate himself into the detectives' conversation more than what was necessary or needed.

Kaito could always sort out his conflicting emotions later, for now he'd enjoy the evening with Ran.

* * *

"Gah, yer mopin' Shinichi," Heiji growled at his best friend when he let out another despondent sigh, "and brooding too. And that's irritating. So are ya gonna tell me what's botherin' ya or am I going ta have ta pry it outta ya?"

"Nothing, really,"

"Bull!"

Heiji pushed away from his desk inside their shared room and spun in his chair to face Shinichi. The Detective of the East was lying down, sprawled upon his bed, with a book beside him that clearly hadn't been cracked open in the past hour.

"So, you're not gonna tell me?"

"No,"

"That means there's somethin' ta tell,"

Shinichi groaned at that – falling into verbal traps, really!

"And it's clearly botherin' ya. I'm gonna have ta deduce it, don't I?"

"I'd prefer if you didn't, actually,"

"And I think I better do, so I'm gonna ignore that preference of yours,"

Heiji ignored Shinichi's mutter of 'Like you've ignored it all other times?' and peered thoughtfully at him.

Shinichi seemed…despondent. No, perhaps the correct word would be 'resigned' or 'passive'. Like something had been decided – a decision that he would have to suffer the consequences for, but a decision he wouldn't change nevertheless – and he'd made his mind to go along with it despite how unhappy it made him.

And this mood had grasped his eastern counterpart ever since his return from Tokyo. Then, that meant…

"What happened in Tokyo?" Heiji asked with a frown,

"What makes you think something happened there?" Shinichi asked him in return.

"You're answering my questions with 'nother question, fer one," Heiji retorted. "And yer depressed ever since ya came back from visiting Nee-chan."

"I'm not depressed," Shinichi muttered sullenly.

"Sure, and I'm a buffalo," Heiji snorted, "You're not eating properly, ya zoned out during that murder case yesterday, ya didn't once complain about Takeuchi – and ya keep tellin' me how _annoying_ he is with his insistence that ya give an interview fer the Uni's magazine at least three times in a day – and you've actually left a Sherlock Holmes book unread in yer free time. So, yeah, _of course_ you're not depressed,"

Shinichi sighed and gave a look at the Holmes book in his hand, as if it was to blame for Heiji's deductions, and sat up straight. Okay, so he might have been slightly down since the past few days, but it was just a phase, right? This would end soon, once he saw how well Kaito and Ran would mesh together.

"Geez, Kudo," Heiji scratched his head, "Who's the gal?"

"Huh?" Shinichi gave a wide-eyed stare at him, "H-How –?"

"Ya have the same love-stricken look –"

"I don't have a _love-stricken_ look –!"

"– ya used to get when ya used to think about Nee-chan when ya were Conan," Heiji continued over Shinichi's embarrassed protest, "And I'm yer best friend, 'course I know what's going on. So, who's da gal?"

Shinichi gave a slightly incredulous stare at Heiji, wondering when he'd become so transparent that the Western Detective could deduce things about him so easily. Then he smiled sadly,

"It's not a girl, Heiji. It's a guy,"

A beat of silence.

Then Heiji spoke confusedly, "So? What's that gotta do with anything? Unless this guy is not into…um…guys…?"

Shinichi gave a slight chuckle at his attempt at normalcy; it was nice to know that Heiji didn't care either way about his preference and tried to be subtly encouraging about it.

"No, no, it's not that," Shinichi grinned ruefully, "Ran likes that guy too,"

"Oh,"

"Yes, oh," Shinichi repeated softly.

"And what abou' that guy?" Heiji asked, "Who does he like?"

"Ran, obviously," Shinichi gave him a look that conveyed pure scepticism, like he was wondering why Heiji had asked such a stupid question.

"Obviously?" Heiji questioned the term, "I don't get it, Shinichi. If ya think that he might have no particular preference, why do ya think it's obvious tha' he likes Nee-chan?"

"Well, how is he supposed to like me if he barely even knows me?"

Now, that gave Heiji a pause. What was going on here? This mysterious guy – Heiji would call him Mr X for now – liked Nee-chan. Kudo liked Mr X. Nee-chan liked Mr X.

…Right.

Confusing.

Heiji shook his head and began from the start.

Mr X was definitely in Nee-chan's college, because Kudo went to meet her friends last weekend. So, Mr X was Nee-chan's friend. Nee-chan and Mr X clearly know each other well. Attraction between them? Possible.

Kudo likes Mr X. Kudo doesn't form crushes. It's always all or none for him, since it is the mind that first appeals to Kudo, not the body. So, Kudo _knows_ Mr X.

But, Mr X _doesn't know_ Kudo? How is that possible?

Unless…

Mr X knows – _knew_ – Conan.

Thus, Mr X knew Conan, Conan knew Mr X.

Conan likes Mr X, but Mr X clearly didn't like Conan as he was only a kid then.

Now, Mr X knows Nee-chan and Nee-chan told Kudo about Mr X.

Kudo met Mr X and recognised him, but Mr X did not.

The question now was, why didn't Kudo recognise Mr X before meeting him? Kudo was a detective of the highest calibre. The smallest of the smallest clues can lead to knowing the identity of a person. Yet, it took a full meeting for Kudo to recognise Mr X. Why?

Unless… Kudo did not know Mr X either. So, Kudo knew Mr X's double identity then? An alias? Who could that be –

"KID!" Heiji breathed out in surprise, "Mr X is KID!"

"Uh, what?" Shinichi blinked, "Mr X? KID?"

Heiji made a dismissive motion, "Shut up! It's freakin' Kaitou Kid, and ya never told me? Geez, no wonder you're moping!"

"What's that got to do with anything," Shinichi asked, bewildered and not very surprised Heiji figured out who his 'crush' was.

Heiji was a brilliant detective and all the clues were present. It wouldn't have taken Heiji much long to piece them all together. Plus, since Heiji knew that KID had worked with them – even if he hadn't met him personally – to bring down the Black Organisation, it made it easier to connect the dots too. And Heiji didn't care one whit about thieves, never even having gone to a single KID Heist before. His opinion on Kaito – KID – was very neutral which changed towards the positive end of the spectrum after he helped them against the Black Organisation.

"Of course it's gotta do with KID!" Heiji replied exasperated, "He's yer intellectual equal! Someone who can actually keep up with ya and knows what you've gone through. Ya kept telling me what great pals ya two were. First such a close friendship and then ya suddenly disappeared from each other's lives. It makes things so much more complex, ahou! Ya don't just _like_ him; you're in _love_ with da guy!"

Shinichi barked out a laugh at that, "So what?"

He got up from the bed, pacing the length of the room, his hands wringing and fists clenching.

"So what?" Shinichi repeated harshly, "It matters not one bit when he doesn't even _know_ Kudo Shinichi, does it? He knows Ran and he likes her! They'd be happy together! What more is there to it?"

Heiji's countenance softened, "What abou' _yer_ happiness, Kudo?"

The sudden shift to his last name did not go unnoticed and it had the desired effect – something out of the ordinary, something out of the expected, a change in routine – and Shinichi paused in his pacing. It was for the barest of seconds, but he did. The nervous energy leaked out of him then and he collapsed onto a chair.

"It doesn't matter," Shinichi reiterated, "Ran's happiness comes first…and Kaito's too. And they'll be happy…together."

"Ya don't know that," Heiji's voice is still soft, as if he's talking to a skittish colt that will bolt at the smallest hint of unease, "Ya never know, he might have felt that way fer ya too, but could never tell ya because ya were only a kid to him,"

"How is that even possible, Hattori?" Shinichi asks, his voice echoing with hope and disgust – hope that Kaito does feel that way and disgust that he wants to steal Kaito away from Ran, away from her chance at happiness. "How is it possible? If, as you say, I was just a kid… why would he ever think of me in that manner? KID is not that type of person… and I never felt that he saw me as anything more than a friend,"

"Ya were never too good at imagining the impossible," Heiji says with light humour, "I bet ya would never have guessed that someone could shrink into a kid –"

"No, that's just you and your crazy mind that can imagine such stuff –"

"– so let's leave that ta me," Heiji finished with a smirk, "And I don't think it's so far-fetched. What's so impossible that KID was attracted to ya mentally instead of physically? It could be possible. And ya told me yourself that ya never come ta know if someone ya like, likes ya back or not. Plus, KID's kinda difficult ta read, so if ya never realised back then, it's possible too,"

What Heiji was saying made sense. It truly did. But that still left one problem.

"While that's all well and good, Heiji," Shinichi interjected, "KID still doesn't know who I am. And telling him would be…unfair. If he does like me, like you said, and he likes Ran too, then I don't want to put him in a position to make him choose,"

Shinichi paused then, face pinching with sadness, "And…what if he chooses Ran? It will lead to this same heartbreak, only much worse," And then anguish clouded his features, "And if he chooses me? What about Ran then? Either way, I'll end up hurting someone…"

"That's simple then," Heiji shrugged, "Let him realise you and Conan were the same people like ya realised he and KID were the same. So, if he does come to know the truth, he can decide fer himself. And if doesn't then…"

"…then there's nothing to be done," Shinichi finished, "But at least this way, I won't deliberately be causing Ran any pain,"

Heiji sat up straight, "But, listen, Shinichi, KID's not a detective. He won't just sit down one day and come to da conclusion like that. You've gotta give him somethin' to build a base on,"

"What?"

"Spend time with him," Heiji suggested simply, "Let him get ta know you and let him see then, how similar you are to Conan. Ya have ta get ta know him anyway, if he's gonna be dating Nee-chan. So you're not doing anything purposefully, ya know…"

Shinichi exhaled, not letting the flame of hope flicker into existence just yet. But the warm wick signalled to him, whispering that should he wish it, it could produce a roaring inferno, of not only hope but also passion.

Shinichi gave a smile then, a soft smile that held a lot more gentleness than he expected it to, when the pain from his decision of letting Kaito go still lingered.

But then, perhaps it was just the strange magic of KID that could bring forth happiness and joy even when a person was at his lowest.

* * *

"Are you going to ask her out?"

Hakuba's sudden question startled Kaito out of his thoughts and he let out a sigh of annoyance, "No, not yet,"

"What are you waiting for, exactly? Even Kudo-kun approves of this relationship."

"And how do you know that?" Kaito asked in disbelief, "Wait – no, don't answer that. I don't want to hear another complicated explanation of how you deduced that. So, Kudo approves. But why does that mean I have to ask Ran-san out just now?"

Hakuba paused at that. Then, taking a seat opposite him – they were the only ones in the library so late in the evening, Aoko had already left to prepare dinner for her father – he leaned forward.

"Kuroba," Hakuba began and paused before re-starting, "Kaito, do you even _want_ to enter a relationship with Ran-san?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow at the change of address. Aoko had been trying to get them on first name basis since the past year, but even Kaito hanging up the Kaitou Kid cape and top-hat had not been enough to end the quasi-rivalry between them.

They'd grown closer after Hakuba had learnt of the organisation that was linked to KID from his police contacts, but Kaito refused to talk about anything that might be even slightly incriminating (Namely KID and the Black Organisation). Never having cleared the air properly, they wavered on the fine line between rivalry and friendship, never choosing either or both.

Seeing that Hakuba was doing the mature thing and complying with Aoko's request, it only made sense that Kaito should do the same.

"It's complicated," Kaito hesitated, "Saguru-kun,"

Hakuba sighed, "I truly don't see the complication in it. It is a matter of choice – do _you_ wish to go out with her, or are you just going along with mine and Aoko-kun's prodding and pushing?"

Kaito scowled immediately, "Ran-san is a great person! I'd never play with her feelings just because you want us to get together or something! And, what makes you think that you could ever _pressurize_ me into going along with your machinations?"

Hakuba paused, a contemplative expression on his face, "You… you like Ran-san."

"Of course I do!"

"But not in the way you should," Hakuba raised an eyebrow, daring him to deny, "You like her, possibly even harbour a great deal of affection for her, but not…romantically. And that makes you feel…guilty?"

Kaito's poker face slammed on, but Hakuba's detective skills wasn't merely limited to facial expression and body language. Still, respecting Kaito's boundaries, he stopped his 'psychoanalysis' as Kaito liked to call it.

So, if deducing was not welcome, he'd have to resort to the age-old method of retrieving information – conversation.

"Why do you feel guilty if you don't like her that way?" Hakuba asked in confusion, "That's normal. Sometimes, people are just not attracted to some people,"

Kaito gave depreciative laugh, "Attraction, huh? Such a strange concept…"

"You…" Hakuba began, frowning at the other teen's words, "Are you attracted to someone else then?"

"Hmm," Kaito shrugged, "Perhaps,"

Hakuba took that as a confirmation, "But, that person doesn't like you back?"

"Not in that way," Kaito confided.

"In which way then?"

"As a friend," Kaito clarified with a regretful smile, "He thinks of me as a friend,"

"He?!"

Kaito's eyes snapped to him, promising retribution if he dared to say anything mocking about it. Hakuba immediately raised his hands in a placating manner.

"I was just surprised," the blond assured him, "I've no problems with it, none what so ever,"

Falling into a contemplative silence, the both of them retreated into their thoughts.

* * *

Hakuba wondered what to make of this new data. Kuroba – Kaito, now, _Kaito_ – liked men? Did that mean introducing Ran-san to him was not the best course of action? But he had liked Aoko at one point. So…both genders, then? Hmm, that meant he'd have to find boys now too, to introduce to Kaito –

"What do you think of Kudo?"

 _'What?'_ Hakuba wondered, _'Where did that question come from now? Wait…'_ "It's Kudo? The guy you like?"

Kaito snorted in surprise, "No! Kami-sama, I just met him today! I barely even know the guy…actually, that's the problem,"

"Why is that a problem?" Hakuba asked him,

"If I've never met Kudo before, why do I get the feeling that I have?" Kaito shook his head, "Anyway, what do _you_ think of Kudo? Do you think you've encountered him somewhere before?"

Now that…was food for thought.

Had Hakuba felt that? Not really. Hearing about Kudo Shinichi from the hot-headed Osakan and his childhood friend Ran, had given him two very varied perspectives of the detective.

But, upon meeting him on person, it certainly did feel to Hakuba that he'd met his fellow detective before, but only a slight thought which had passed through his mind before he discarded it as unimportant.

And that was strange.

From what he'd heard, Kudo had had a huge hand in the take down of the mysterious organisation and had been missing for nearly a whole year and half – from both public and private eye (pun intended). So, when had he met Kudo?

Or perhaps, the question was – Where?

On a case?

At the police station?

At school? (A resounding 'No' for that)

At some gala? (Most of the families in the upper echelons of the society held galas throughout the year, to which the Suzuki's, Hakuba's and Kudo's were always invited, though Saguru himself had only attended them twice and the Kudo's not even once since they'd settled abroad)

Where had he met Kudo to feel as if this was not their first meeting? Was it when he was in disguise? No, that was too broad a perspective. If it was a disguise, he could have met Kudo anywhere and anyplace and never realise the truth.

He'd have to go from this backwards.

 _Kaito_ felt that he'd met Kudo before.

Where would Kaito feel he'd met a _detective_? During his night job? As one of the detectives there? That narrowed down the list…

But they were talking of Kaito's object of affection just then – male, of the same intellectual level, similar age or close by, a man of critical thought…Hakuba's mind deduced simultaneously – why did Kudo come up in conversation? Was it because Kudo reminded him of a certain person he was fond of?

So, perhaps the first course of action would be to deduce who was the one that Kaito seemed to hold so much affection for.

Studies clearly indicated that having a significant other brought about changes in opinion, choice and perspectives. So, concluding that, it meant that all the unexplainable changes Kaito had undergone sometime in the past – year, two years? – couple of years had to be taken into account.

The first and most obvious one – Sherlock Holmes. It had not been quite as noticeable at first, but Kaito had never ever liked Saguru talking on and on about the fictional detective. Now-a-days, when Saguru would tell Aoko about a re-run of a Holmes show he'd watched or talk about what he read in the Japanese version of the books, Kaito would just listen on in quiet fondness, no complaints flowing from his lips.

Secondly, curry. While the magician was never a fussy eater and liked a wide variety of dishes (barring a fishes, according to Aoko), he seemed suddenly fond of curry. As in, more than usual.

Thirdly, coffee. It was no secret that Kaito was a chocolate addict. Most, if not all, sweets and confectionaries Kuroba ate had chocolate in them. That the magician began indulging in an occasional cup of the caffeinated drink had been surprising to Aoko as well as Saguru.

Fourth, lemon pies. For someone who usually ordered parfaits and chocolate cakes on trips to bakeries or cafes, to eat a lemon pie (whose tangy flavour highly contrasted with the richness of chocolates') when he'd never done so before was odd.

Lastly, soccer. Kaito kept track of most popular sports played in Japan. He knew which team was leading in the basketball play offs, who were the most prominent golfers of their country, attended quite a few baseball games, etc. The sports section of his newspaper would always be well read and marked from what Saguru had seen during their high school days.

And speaking of high school, Kaito had always muttered about what dangerous weapons from hell the footballs were, every time they passed the soccer team's practice sessions. So, the sudden avid interest in soccer, and the fond look that graced his face when he watched games on the television, was certainly out of the norm.

Thinking of soccer, a name came to mind.

Edogawa Conan. The Kid Killer. A detective.

Hakuba's eyes shot wide open at that.

Conan – from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. And hadn't the kid told him during the sunset mansion case? That his name was given to him because his father was a huge Holmes fan? And what Kaito said back then?

_'...You certainly know your Holmes trivia._

_A friend told…'_

That incomplete sentence; 'A friend told me'. What if…what if that 'friend' was young Conan? Edogawa-kun also had a tendency to kick soccer balls at Kaitou Kid from what Nakamori-keibu had told him.

With Edogawa Conan's return to America, was it possible that Kaito missed the little boy? Missed him enough that he started indulging in activities that he wouldn't have done before? The sudden love for soccer could be explained then – young Conan had been extremely passionate about the sport.

And while the curry, coffee and lemon pies certainly didn't ring any bells, he knew Kaitou Kid had been quite fond of the young boy. But could fondness be translated into love? Love for a _child_ , in fact?

The mere idea was ridiculous. _Preposterous_.

Yet, the thought had some merit. Edogawa Conan was Kudo Shinichi's relative. It made sense for Kaito to be so curious about Kudo if his thoughts had been focused on the older detective's younger cousin. If it had been Edogawa Conan who'd been Kuroba's object of affection, he could understand why the other teen had been so disheartened…to have fallen in love with a _child_ …

Hakuba knew Kaito was no paedophile... but the depressed aura around him made him think it was certainly a _romantic_ love and not a brotherly affection he'd been harbouring. Perhaps, it was a completely asexual interest? Edogawa-kun was a child, after all…

But, this was also conjecture. He had no confirmation; and one case along with the same young detective and a certain hot-heated Osakan had taught him enough about not forming conclusions without complete proof. So…

"Is it Edogawa-kun?" Hakuba asked lightly, "The 'he' you spoke of?"

And Hakuba had to laud the nonchalant posture of his classmate. Kuroba had showed nothing but polite indifference to his question, face carefully blank, giving an impression that he'd not even heard him, lost in thoughts. But, Saguru knew that sometimes lack of a reaction was a better answer than any overblown response.

And since this was Kuroba Kaito, Hakuba took that perfect poker face as a confirmation.

Dear God… was Edogawa Conan _truly_ the identity of Kaito's previous amour? A child? No wonder Kuroba had been so distressed, so despondent.

But, wait…why had his instinct told him otherwise? While cataloguing his behavioural patterns, Hakuba had identified Kuroba's crush as…

_'…Male, of the same intellectual level, **similar or close by in age** , a man of critical thought…'_

"Why did I think that?' Hakuba murmured softly, missing Kaito's sceptical eyebrow, "The complexity of the emotion? The maturity of the relationship?"

"What are you muttering about, Hakuba?" Kaito asked after a while.

Paying no attention, Saguru delved back into his thoughts.

Edogawa-kun was smart, scarily smart. So, the intellectual level could be explained. His gender was obvious. Critical thought? He was a _detective_. Similar age? Why…?

Why had Saguru thought that Kuroba's interest was in a man of similar age? Should he brush it off as a mistake? But Hakuba Saguru was a detective who was very good at profiling – making such a mistake was an insult to his pride!

Also, there was the original matter of Kudo. Considering Conan was Kudo's cousin, the similarity could be explained but Kaito feeling as if he'd met the Heisei Holmes could not.

Kaitou Kid may have met up with Conan at his heists and possibly while working on that case to bring down the crime syndicate, where had he met Kudo?

 _'At the take down of the organisation!'_ Hakuba thought triumphantly, _'Yes, that is the connecting link! So…'_

"Say, Kuroba," Saguru said, leaning forwards to keep his voice low "Was it back then? During the… _take down_? Was it then that you met him – Kudo?"

* * *

Kaito had to agree, Hakuba's words made sense.

The only time he could have met Kudo was during the take down of the Black Organisation. Except, that was not possible. The only people KID had interacted with were Conan-kun and James Black from the FBI. Sometimes he'd see the other agents during a major meeting, but even then, Kudo was never present.

Kudo, from what the tabloids and newspapers had reported, had worked entirely separate from the others, only collaborating and sharing information with the FBI and Japanese Secret Police. Meeting with Kudo was not possible.

"No," Kaito shook his head, "Not even then. I only ever interacted with Conan-kun at that time,"

Hakuba fell into contemplative silence again and Kaito sighed. Why was the blond being so persistent? He'd only asked him on a whim. And a simple 'Yes' or 'No' answer would have sufficed. To think Hakuba had gone into full detective mode over such a small question…

Chalking it up to a detective's natural curiosity for wanting know things, Kaito went back to his own thoughts.

* * *

 _'Only ever interacted with Edogawa-kun?'_ Saguru frowned, ' _If that is the case, then there is no reason we should feel as if we've met Kudo-kun before. Because, unless Edogawa-kun was Kudo-kun, we have never interacted with each other at all!'_

Wait…Edogawa-kun was Kudo-kun?

Hakuba nearly laughed at his thoughts. What an absurd supposition! He was going mad surely! To think, a young seven year old was the same person as Kudo Shinichi – the Heisei Holmes!

"No, impossible," Saguru shook his head, "I think I should best go home, this must be fatigue catching up to me. Really…to think Edogawa is Kudo…no one can shrink or grow like that. I would be insane to consider it."

Ignoring Kuroba's expression of stunned surprise, Hakuba got up from his seat, making his way to the exit. He did not even wish the magician a farewell, too tired and exhausted for it – the serial murder case he'd been solving alongside the police had taken up more sleepless nights than he'd thought.

* * *

Kaito blinked, shook his head and then rubbed his eyes. Better yet, he placed his palms over his ears, pressed and rubbed them slightly to generate pressure and immerse himself in momentary silence. Had he actually heard that right? What the hell had Hakuba been thinking?

_'…Edogawa is Kudo…no one can shrink or grow like that…insane to consider it…'_

Kaito gave a startled laugh. Perhaps he was going as mad as Hakuba. Conan-kun; vibrant, lively, mischievous, brilliant, devious Conan; was Kudo? The arrogant, aloof and (undoubtedly) genius Kudo? Kaito didn't think so.

True, Kaito found Kudo to be tolerable. Plus, he was Ran-san's childhood friend and he didn't think Ran-san could be such close friends with anyone who was so haughty and dismissive. And Kaito would admit that he didn't know Kudo well, only having read about him from the papers.

The 'Shinichi' Ran-san had talked about was a much more likeable guy, but since he hadn't bothered to interact with detective more than necessary, he couldn't really form his own opinion.

Though, Conan-kun had looked up to Kudo a lot and often said he'd been taught quite a few things by him. And if Conan-kun adored Kudo, then Kudo was probably a much better guy than the media made him out to be – or perhaps the fan base simply loved Kudo as the tall, dark and cool persona they were bestowing him with.

Besides, hadn't Kaito felt Kudo to be very similar to Conan? Maybe he was more like his Tantei-kun than Hakuba. Or Hattori. Oh, Conan would always be his favourite detective – no one could ever take his place – but perhaps Kudo might make a good friend. And if he ever decided to ask Ran-san out, then he had to maintain a good rapport with the detective.

_'…Edogawa is Kudo…no one can shrink or grow like that…insane to consider it…'_

Kaito didn't know what Hakuba was thinking, saying such things. Because, Kudo was _not_ Conan-kun! Despite their similarities, they couldn't be! It was best not to think of such things, truly. Getting confused between them would be no good.

Also, Kudo might be his only connection to Conan now. Perhaps, perhaps he could one day convince the detective to give him a way to contact his younger cousin? Even a simple phone number would suffice…

Kaito groaned, ' _Why am I back to that? The idea is good, but Kudo won't give Conan's number to random strangers anyway. Especially after his involvement with the Black Organisation. He might give it to **KID** , if Tantei-kun had told Kudo about his part in bringing Them down…but that would mean telling Kudo who I used to be,'_

And that wouldn't do. Hell, Kaito hadn't even told Aoko, not after how happy she'd been to know that her father would be spending more time at home since KID had retired. To tell her that he had been the Kaitou Kid would not be conducive at all.

Oh, he was sure she'd forgive him – she did love him after all – but she'd be supremely angry with him and he didn't want that now. Plus, his KID days were over, no need to open shut cases…

 _'And Conan-kun is influencing my thoughts even now,_ ' Kaito sighed, ' _But it's true. I wouldn't tell Kudo, or anyone else, that I used to be KID. If I would ever tell it to someone, it would only be to Conan-kun…'_

Kaito still desired to contact Conan somehow and Hakuba's words had only increased that desire, realising that Kudo could be his connection to the younger detective.

But Kudo wouldn't allow Kaito to contact Conan unless Kaito gave him a valid reason. And Kaito wasn't willing to tell anyone but Conan what that 'valid reason' was.

Kaito smiled sadly, "What a predicament this is, ne, Tantei-kun?"

* * *

Shinichi had been all for Heiji's idea of spending time with Kuroba.

He knew that it was not only so that Kaito could notice the resemblance between him and Conan, but also so that they may get to know each other.

Because, while Shinichi had loved KID, he did not love Kuroba.

And KID was only a part of Kuroba, not the whole. But he wanted to, he wanted to know Kuroba, wanted to get a chance to love him for himself…if it hadn't been for Ran's interest in him.

Kuroba, of course, if given the choice, would always choose Ran over Kudo Shinichi – KID had been fond of his detectives, but he'd never liked them much. Fond enough to care for their well-being, but never fond enough to willingly spend time with them. Apart from Conan, that is.

When it came to Conan, KID had bent quite a few of his self-imposed rules and Shinichi was counting on that one factor that might lead to Kuroba giving him a chance. And if he wanted that chance, Kuroba had to realise who he was, who he used to be.

So, Shinichi was quite willing to go along with Heiji's idea, had it not been for that phone call.

"Hello?"

The number was unknown, but the ringtone indicated that it was not national call. And if it was international, it could only be the FBI or the CIA. But who had called on his land-line number instead of his mobile? The FBI agents who knew his double identity had only ever called him on his phone – mobiles were always safer than house phones and they'd never fallen out of the habit.

Besides, now that he attended Kyoto Uni, he only ever visited his Beika house on weekends. The caller was lucky to have called on a Saturday.

"Shinichi-san?"

It took Shinichi a moment to place the voice; it had been a long time since he'd met him, after all.

"Eisuke?!"

"Ah, I'm glad it's the right number," Hondou Eisuke's relieved tone sounded over the line.

Shinichi chuckled; that was certainly the clumsy teen he knew, "This is a surprise! What's the occasion?"

"I'm returning to Japan,"

"You are?" Shinichi was surprised, "Wait, only you or your sister as well?"

"Only me," Eisuke confirmed, "Nee-san is back to work and I miss Japan…and Ran-san," The last part was said softly, and Shinichi felt guilty suddenly.

"Ah, I meant to tell you," Shinichi began, "and I'm really sorry for not doing so before…Ran and I are not dating,"

There was a silence on the other end before a hopeful voice sounded, "You're not?"

"Actually, things are more complicated than that," Shinichi replied, remembering Kaito, "I think this conversation is best carried out face to face… When will you be arriving here?"

"Um…next week?" Eisuke said, "Wait… let me check again." A ruffling of papers, then, "Yes, next week. On Thursday. My flight shall arrive at 11:00 pm,"

"I'll pick you up," Shinichi promised, disregarding Eisuke's protests at how late it would be, "and have you got a place to stay?"

"Uh, yes. Nee-san's apartment is still on lease,"

"Good then," Shinichi replied, wanting to help as much as possible.

Without Hondou Hidemi's inside information, which she sent to them at great personal risk, they might have never been able to bring down the Black Organisation. That gratefulness carried over to her brother and Eisuke was a good guy. Plus, he did feel slightly guilty about warning him off Ran back then – especially since their relationship had come to nothing.

"Thank you, Shinichi-san," Eisuke said.

"It's no problem, and – I – I am – why don't I tell you when you come here, yes?"

"Of course," Eisuke agreed, "Though, you're making me slightly apprehensive now,"

Shinichi smiled sadly, "It's just complicated,"

And was about to become even more so, really, with Eisuke's involvement. As if it wasn't already a tangled mess with Kaito, Ran and Shinichi…Well, Shinichi had been right all those years ago.

Love truly was the most complex mystery of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go...hopefully the progress and flow of the story is going well. For the record, I don't like angst. Don't write it well either. so, literally no idea how this turned out - but I hope you all enjoyed it!
> 
> Let me know your thoughts, criticisms, suggestions :)


	5. New Arrivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> '...."Conan-kun!" Kaito breathed out....'
> 
> What more do I need to say? :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, yes, a fast update. But, I was in the mood to write, so here you go!
> 
> Also...
> 
> I'd like to include a time line so people don't get confused -
> 
> Half way through First year of High School (age 16) - Kaitou Kid makes his re-appearance and Clock Tower Heist takes place.
> 
> Beginning of Second year (age 17) - Shinichi turns into Conan
> 
> Before Second year ends (age 17) - KID and Conan start working together.
> 
> A few months before Third year ends (age 18) - BO is down. KID disappears. Conan disappears.
> 
> Half way through First year of college (age 19) - Shinichi and Kaito meet for the first time as themselves. (Mostly spring, remember the sakura blossoms?)
> 
> Spring break - March 25th to April 5th (Mostly ignored and fast forwarded)
> 
> Summer break - July 20th to August 31st (Current time line)
> 
> Winter break - Decomber 26th to January 6th
> 
> ...
> 
> Hope that made things clear!
> 
> Now, onwards with the story...
> 
> Enjoy~

Shinichi may not have his mother's propensity for reckless driving, but he did adore cars. Specifically fast cars. Or any kind of vintage cars, really. So, the moment he turned eighteen (Legal driving age in Japan), he got his license. His parents had bought and kept a car ready for this particular moment since _years_. Really.

And having already learnt driving in Hawaii (From his mother; she insisted, claiming Yusaku didn't know the _right_ way to do so); he had had no bumps in the road, much to the envy of his college mates. Learning to drive amidst the Tokyo traffic (Though Kyoto was slightly more manageable) was no easy feat.

So, on Thursday, at 11:00 pm, Shinichi pulled his car into the parking lot at Narita Airport. The flight had no delays and fifteen minutes later, Eisuke stumbled out of the exit, two suitcases in hand.

"Shinichi-san!" Eisuke waved, nearly knocking himself over as he tripped on an untied shoe lace.

Shinichi face palmed, walking towards him and claiming the bags for himself – they would only be liable to make him stumble more – and nodded towards his car.

"I've brought my car," Shinichi said, leading him towards it and placing his suitcases in the boot.

"A blue Mazda RX-7?" Eisuke let out a low whistle, admiring the beauty, "I though it stopped production four years ago!"

Shinichi, glad to have found a fellow car enthusiast (Because Heiji and Masumi only ever liked to talk bikes, KID loved his hang-glider too much to even consider cars even though he knew driving and Ran was indifferent to it) started gushing almost immediately, "It's a sports car! With a twin-sequential turbo rotatory engine and 255-hp! Real smooth driving, excellent steering and _fast!_ Mainly fast…"

Eisuke grinned at Shinichi's exuberant expression as he talked about cars passionately. Conversing with the actual Kudo Shinichi instead of his shrunken version was different, certainly.

"Kaa-san fell in love with it when it first came out and she decreed that it was to be my coming of age car." Shinichi laughed, "And after giving it a go, I have to say I completely agree!"

Eisuke chuckled, managing to get into the car without any mishaps, "So she bought one in advance?"

"Yes," Shinichi grinned, sliding into the driver's seat, "The Mazda RX-8 was good, but she liked this one better. And since we Kudo's drive nothing but the _best_ sport cars…"

Eisuke laughed. They drove to Hidemi's old apartment, used by her when she was still masquerading as Mizunashi Rena. The flat was still on lease and Eisuke would be staying there unless he wished to rent a different place.

They talked about everyday happenings as they drove there; Shinichi telling him about his college classes and cases, going into an in depth discussion about cars, recent books they'd read.

"Satou-keiji still uses her red Mazda, you know?"

"Oh? Have you ever raced her?"

"Once. Chasing a fleeing culprit."

"And who won?"

"Me, of course," Shinichi gave him a look, as if Eisuke was silly to ask such a question, "Though not totally based on my inherent driving skills, but also because I deduced his escape route and cornered him," the detective admitted.

It was just as Shinichi pulled the car to a stop that Eisuke brought up the topic.

"How's Ran-san?"

"She's fine." Shinichi smiled, "I've told her about your arrival, by the way. She said she'd love to meet you again once you've settled in."

"Yes, I'd love to meet her too," Eisuke admitted, "And everyone else, of course! But…"

Shinichi chortled, "I know," then he paused, hesitating, "There's a friend of hers, in college, Kuroba Kaito. I don't know how to say it… Let me be direct –"

"She likes him?" Eisuke interrupted forlornly, "I thought that might be the case, when you told me over the phone…"

"Yes," Shinichi replied softly, "They're not together or something, but it is a possibility."

"Kuroba-kun…how is he? What kind of a guy?"

Eisuke's question made sense; he wanted to know what his 'competitor' was like. But Shinichi didn't know what to say. That Kuroba was a nice person? Cheerful and fun-loving? Intelligent? A genius? Shinichi didn't think he could tell Eisuke what a wonderful person Kaito (KID) was, without sounding forlorn himself.

"He's a decent person," Shinichi gave him a detached reply, before pulling out his phone, "We took a group photo when I met them – Ran's college friends – I'll show you,"

Eisuke accepted the mobile, "Which one –? Oh…that one? Standing between Ran-san and the girl who looks a lot like her?"

"Yes, that's Kuroba Kaito. The girl is Nakamori Aoko and the blond, Hakuba Saguru."

"I've heard of him, he's another detective, I think," Eisuke answered, keeping up the conversation absent-mindedly, even as his eyes bored into the picture, looking at Kaito's face with ironic woe, "He looks a lot like you. No wonder Ran-san…"

"No," Shinichi denied, "It's not what you're thinking. Ran and I decided not to enter a relationship even before the organisation fell. She's not into him because he looks like me or something. She met Kuroba just half a year ago,"

"Half a year ago, huh?" Eisuke chuckled, "Well, at least they're not together already. Perhaps I still have a chance…"

"Perhaps you do," and Shinichi's encouragement came from the same hope that Eisuke harboured – Kaito might not want to be with Ran.

Eisuke must have heard some unidentifiable emotion in his voice, for he looked at Shinichi with strange understanding.

"I'll go up myself," Eisuke said, "thanks for the pick-up, Shinichi-san,"

Shinichi nodded in agreement, knowing that the other teen wanted some alone time currently. Eisuke smiled for a brief moment before opening the door and stepping out, banging his head on the roof of the car in the process.

"Ouch!"

Shinichi sighed, "I'll take your luggage out,"

"Yes, I think that would be for the best," Eisuke agreed, massaging his scalp, "My bad luck keeps making me collide into things…"

* * *

"Ran-chan!"

Kazuha stepped into Mouri Detective Agency, late morning, dragging a small carry bag in with her. She planned to stay the weekend and catch up with Ran-chan; they hadn't seen each other in months!

"Eh? What are you doing here?" Mouri asked her in surprise, "That other detective brat is with you, too?"

"Nah, Occhan," Kazuha grinned at him, "Only me. That ahou, Heiji, has decided to go an' study at Kyoto, leaving me all alone at Osaka! Really! All because it is rather famous fer its good criminology professors or somethin'!"

"Criminology and psychology," corrected Ran with amusement as she entered the office, Suzuki Sonoko and Sera Masumi trailing in behind her.

"Oh yeah," Kazuha agreed, "Kudo-kun's studying there, too, right? Really, Heiji's taking tha' saying 'Bros before gals' a little too seriously if ya ask me!"

Masumi guffawed at that, "Actually, I'm studying there too. And it does have good professors,"

"Not ya too, Masumi-chan!" Kazuha glanced at them again, "Ah, I didn't know the both of ya were going ta be here! I'd have gotten more baumkuchen!"

"Baumkuchen?" Kazuha ignored Mouri's surprised and delighted expression as she turned contemplative.

"Perhaps we can just cut and eat it up here?" Kazuha suggested.

Sonoko laughed and shook her head, "No worries, Sera-chan and I were just leaving actually. Shopping for summer clothes!"

The two girls disappeared down the stairs as Ran accepted Kazuha's gift and took it upstairs (No, Otou-san, you're supposed to be controlling your sugar intake!). Kazuha plopped down on the sofa as Ran puttered about the kitchen, pouring some juice for the both of them.

"So, has Kuroba-kun asked ya out, yet?"

"Kazuha-chan!" Ran complained, "Is that all you came to talk to me about?"

Kazuha laughed, "Nah, but can ya blame me fer being interested? Ya have been tellin' me abou' him since weeks! I heard Kudo-kun also met him during spring break…what does he have ta say?"

Ran frowned, "Shinichi was rather odd that day,"

"Odd?"

"Yes… I mean, he was perfectly fine at first! He got along well with Hakuba-kun. And even Aoko-san and Kuroba-kun. Then, halfway through our trip…"

"What?"

"Nothing, he just didn't feel right," Ran struggled to put it into words, "He _seemed_ fine after that bathroom break, but I can understand Shinichi better than others. I know something was troubling him! And when he told me about Kuroba-kun…"

"What happened?" Kazuha was concerned now, "Did he feel that this Kuroba is not a good guy?"

"No, actually," Ran denied, "I – Kuroba – I mean – Shinichi told me he's a decent guy. But that's _all_. Don't you find that odd?"

Kazuha frowned, "I see what ya mean, Ran-chan. Heiji loves ta go into details abou' any deduction he makes. And profiling a person seems ta be somethin' he'd describe in more than a few words,"

"Exactly!" Ran nodded, "Before, Shinichi and I used to just travel by bus or walk through the streets and he'd keep pointing towards random passers-by, telling me what their occupation was, how many kids they had, whether they owned a pet or not… And _then_ he'd tell me how he found it out, specifying what gave him the clues to result in that particular deduction…"

"So, Kudo-kun didn't do any of tha' at all?"

Ran shook her head, "I don't understand… even if he wasn't feeling well, he'd have definitely called me back to tell me or something. It's like he found out something about Kuroba-kun that he wants to hide…"

"Why do ya get tha' feeling?" Kazuha asked in confusion, "Found out something about Kuroba?"

Ran shrugged, "I don't know, Kazuha-chan, I don't know. But the way he told me nothing – it's like he used to do at that time; when he was Conan and had found something about the organisation but kept completely quiet about it since he wanted to keep me safe."

Kazuha had been told about the Conan incident after Shinichi had returned permanently. Heiji had been greatly involved in that case and while the Hattori parents had no idea about Conan, Kazuha deserved to know after having grown so close to the little guy.

"He – he didn't _evade_ , just omitted things," Ran explained quietly, "Misdirected. And I fell for it now just as I used to fall for it before. And just like that time, I still don't ask him to tell me the truth…waiting in the hopes that he'll tell me himself."

Kazuha smiled ruefully, "Ya have a very big heart, Ran-chan. To accept Kudo-kun's secrecy and be fine with it till he tells ya."

Ran smiled back, "It's not only that, it's selfishness too. I don't know if I want to know some things either. Like about the Black Organisation. I know I'd have lost a lot of sleep over it if the case hadn't been over when Shinichi told me the truth."

"So ya don't want ta know what Kudo-kun deduced about Kuroba-kun?"

"Not until Shinichi tells me on his own. Or Kuroba-kun does. Not until then…I don't think I'd be able to handle it well if I try to pry it out of Shinichi…I'll mourn the loss of my ignorance perhaps,"

"What if it's somethin' important?" Kazuha pressed, "What if it depends in whether or not ya will date tha' Kuroba guy?"

"I don't know, Kazuha-chan," Ran smiled sadly, "That's why I said it's selfish. Even though I yearn for the truth – spending your childhood with Shinichi guarantees that – sometimes, some truths must not be revealed till the right time. That's why, until Shinichi decides to tell me, I won't pry."

* * *

The summer break – spanning from July 20th to August 31st – had begun a couple of days ago, and Kuroba Kaito had taken full advantage of it. He'd started to give promotional magic shows in malls and some parks, spreading word about his plans for a debut show – not until the new year, but starting early was good.

He'd just plopped down at a corner booth at some random café, ordering a cup of hot chocolate and strawberry parfait. He'd finished a small show at a children's nursery some time ago and expected to go home and relax. Maybe call Aoko for a while. Or probably Ran-san.

He'd wondered about Hakuba's question for long. Was he going to ask Ran-san out? They certainly spent enough time together that Kaito knew he'd be happy with her. But it felt wrong to pursue a relationship with her when he still cared for Conan-kun – her kid _brother_ , in all that mattered.

But, the way they acted was enough like a couple already – wasn't the next step to actually go out? It would be the right thing to do, probably Ran-san expected him to do so, too. It would be the _safe_ thing to do – a nice, stable relationship, with a pretty girl with great ambitions. A lawyer was a good profession. Hmm, magician and lawyer… Kaito sighed.

It was certainly better than pining after Conan; someone who he might or might not ever meet again.

Pushing aside that matter, Kaito gazed outside the glass walls – something that was becoming increasingly popular in cafés – admiring the paper lantern exhibition across the street when the door jingled open. Reflexively, Kaito turned his head to look. Kudo Shinichi had just entered the café.

For one whole moment, Kaito wondered what he was doing in Tokyo; wasn't he studying at Kyoto Uni? Then remembering that summer was upon them, so of course Kudo would have returned to Beika, Kaito was about to wave and greet him.

 _'Might as well get to know the guy,'_ Kaito thought, _'He is Ran-san's friend, after all,'_

A scream pierced through the air then, and all the people seated at the table in the far right had stood up suddenly.

"No one moves!" Kudo ordered, immediately taking charge as he made his way over, "Stay in your places and if anyone touches anything, they'll be answering to the police!"

' _Or not,'_ Kaito smiled wryly, _'Guess our meet and greet will have to wait till that case is solved. Geez…he seems to have Tantei-kun's luck of stumbling into cases,'_

Kaito watched as Kudo herded everyone aside to a separate table and had them seated. The other staff began helping out then, explaining the situation to the other patrons and asking them to wait.

Kaito waved aside the waitress when she bowed apologetically, "That's all right. I understand."

"The police have been called," she told him nevertheless, "and you might have to answer a few questions of theirs. But, do not worry," she added brightly, "Kudo-sama will catch the culprit soon enough!"

 _'A fan,'_ Kaito deadpanned incredulously as she went off, placating a worried couple who were sitting in a rather isolated booth, _'Geez, barely even a year since Kudo returned from that huge case and his fans have cropped up again.'_

But Kaito had to admit, watching Kudo speak gently to a crying woman (possibly the victim's girlfriend), that Kudo knew just how to appeal to the masses. Like a magician had his own stage, this was Kudo's. At a crime scene, he was the one perfectly in control of everything; holding all his cards to his chest, collecting clues and gathering proof. And when he had deduced it all, he presented it with a flourish – as the big reveal.

_Just like a certain Edogawa Conan…_

* * *

The police arrived twenty minutes later.

Megure-keibu had been delighted to see Kudo already present on scene, as well as slightly resigned. The police took over the questioning as Kudo bent over the body with the coroners, pointing at things Kaito couldn't see.

Takagi-keiji went around asking if anyone of them had seen anything of importance, but was met with mostly negative replies. The café was a large one, so it was expected. Kaito shook his head when the Inspector reached him, and Takagi nodded in understanding but still rattled off a few generic questions that Kaito answered truthfully.

After that, Kaito was left alone at his booth, sitting and waiting till the case was solved. With nothing better to do, Kaito observed. He observed the waitress standing by the kitchen door (fidgety, nervous habits, curly hair, simple to disguise as), the balding office worker sitting at the opposite table (slightly plump, smokes, wears formal clothing, taps his foot when impatient) and lastly, Kudo Shinichi.

Kaito had wanted to observe the detective closely ever since their first meeting at the park. Then, he'd mostly spent time with Aoko and Ran-san, just barely interacting with the Heisei Holmes.

From what he'd seen till now, Kudo had a deep love for Sherlock Holmes, knew many abstract facts and scientific theories, was well read about the law and current affairs (that was obvious, he was a detective!) and preferred vanilla over chocolate ice-cream. He'd come to know that last fact when Aoko had lost the bet and had to treat them all.

 _'Come to think of it,'_ Kaito mused _, 'Conan-kun preferred vanilla over chocolate too,'_

It was not a sudden realisation.

It was gradual; slowly creeping into his mind, seeping in via his senses. And with every observation Kaito made, it only seemed more clear, more obvious.

The little side-ward tilt of his head as he inspected a clue, the placement of his chin between his thumb and index finger, the way he scratched his head when some piece did not fit into his mental jigsaw puzzle of the crime scene, the furrow of his brows as he peered at something with great concentration…

Kaito didn't know why this was suddenly coming to him, but every expression and every movement seemed to be an echo of Conan-kun's. Should he not have noticed this at their first meeting? Why now?

Even as he thought of it, the answer came to him, ' _That was not a crime scene. That was a meeting between friends and Kudo was reserved in the company of strangers. This…this is his field. Here, he's **himself** and I can suddenly feel as if – why does it feel like it's Tantei-kun?'_

Because it did. Every mannerism, every little nuance felt like Conan's. There would be little differences; where he didn't speak up in a cute voice to fool others or run around the officers to sneakily point out clues, but in the end it was similar. No…it was the _same_.

Just like Conan told him once, how he could feel it – KID's mischief and mayhem, like a physical, tangible presence – if KID was somewhere near, Kaito could feel it too. He could feel Conan-kun's sharp intelligence and manipulative demeanour saturating the place.

Kaito could feel Conan-kun's _presence_. Here. At the café. Where there was only Kudo.

Kaito did not see Kudo stand confidently, hands in his pockets as he led the culprit, sweetly, enticingly, out of his safety bubble, pulling him into the gaping maws of the police. He didn't see Kudo shredding the killer's false excuses to pieces. He didn't see the decisiveness in Kudo's body language as he presented his proof, providing the murderer with no escape. Kaito didn't see Kudo.

Kaito only saw Conan-kun.

That was Conan's knowing grin that graced Kudo's lips, Conan's assured stance as he pointed out the culprit, Conan's confident poise as he revealed the truth. And Kaito could only see Edogawa Conan beneath that similar visage of Kudo Shinichi's.

Kaito always did think that if only it weren't for those glasses and his young age, Conan would look very similar to him – just like Kudo did, really. It was ridiculous to even entertain the notion, to think that the young child Kaito had known was actually a teen of his age! But Kaito's instincts did not lie. And right now, they were telling him that…

Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi were one and the same.

And he didn't care about the logic of it. The 'how' and 'why' behind it all could be pondered later. He was no detective, but he was good at observing. And he had observed; carefully, precisely, fondly, deliberately observed Tantei-kun.

He'd observed Conan with such single-minded focus and interest that there was no way he was mistaken!

Kaito knew, when he saw Kudo as he worked and showed off his deductive skills, that he'll easily be able to disguise as him, with no observation whatsoever– for Kaito had already observed it all, when he was Conan.

' _How?_ ' Kaito's brain had stuttered to a stop in confusion, ' _How is it even possible? It can't be! Conan-kun is – is a – **child**! And Kudo – dammit! What is going on?'_

But there was no time to be idle. Kudo had already left the café, leaving the rest to the police and Kaito knew he couldn't let him go now. If, as Kaito thought, Kudo was Conan, then he couldn't let him go. Not when he'd finally found him! Not now.

Hastily leaving a few hundred yen notes on his table, Kaito exited the café, turning his head around to see where Kudo had disappeared. The street was crowded, as Tokyo streets usually were, but that didn't matter to the former thief. He easily picked out the detective from out of the masses – Kaito had always been good at spotting Conan, even among the huge and hulking adults of the FBI he surrounded himself with – walking further down the street, hands in his pockets. And Kaito ran.

He was just slightly short of breath – more due to shock and exhilaration than exhaustion – when he reached Kudo. Clasping an arm on his shoulder, he turned the detective around, receiving a surprised expression for it.

"Kuroba –?" Kudo began, confused at his sudden appearance.

"Conan-kun!" Kaito breathed out, a happy, hopeful smile on his face and damn – his eyes were slightly moist, now.

Kudo's eyes widened all of a sudden at the name and Kaito knew then – _knew_ that he was right!

"You're Conan-kun, aren't you?" Kaito repeated, his hand gripping on to Kudo's shoulder with a tight grasp, as if to let go now would make Shinichi disappear, "Aren't you? Tantei-kun?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Readers! Quick question! How many of you would like a bonus chapter at the end with a KID Heist? KID vs Kudo? Leave a review please!
> 
> P.S. - The Mazda RX-7 came out in 1993 and was in production till 1995. One of the best cars in Japan. It won prizes for all years it was in production and first prize the year it came out! Just a fun fact... :)


	6. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes to light. And basically a lot of talk...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, but my exams have truly begun now. So the next update will come out only after a week and not before. Must concentrate on my studies. No updates till then! Sorry, but wish me luck!
> 
> By the time, here's a chapter for you!
> 
> Let me know how it was!
> 
> ....
> 
>  
> 
> (13th March, 2017) EDIT: So, after a few critical and thought-provoking reviews, I decided to edit a major part of the Shinichi - Shounen Tantei-dan interaction. Making it more believable, keeping them in character, etc. So, do you see the how helpful you guys are? You help making this story significantly better!
> 
> A BIG THANKS to all my reviewers! And a special thanks to Disconsolate Mist (On FFnet) for doing most of, if not all, the corrections! :)

"You're Conan-kun, aren't you?" Kaito's grip on his shoulder tightened almost painfully then, "Aren't you? Tantei-kun?"

Shinichi snapped out of whatever trance he was in at those last words. Grabbing hold of Kuroba's wrist, he dragged the other teen into a near-by alley – this was not a conversation he needed to have out in the public, but an alley would do for now.

Kuroba, for his part, complied immediately, not even questioning Shinichi as he led him to the deserted street. It only further confirmed Shinichi's thoughts; Kaito had truly realised who he was.

Shinichi had noticed Kuroba among the customers of the café, but as he'd been pulled into a case almost immediately, he'd decided to let him be. Then, just as he'd wrapped up the case, Haibara had texted him, telling him to come home immediately, since the kids were here.

The Shounen Tantei-dan were excited to meet him – for the first time since he'd left for college – and Shinichi had agreed. He could talk to Kaito later; he was here for the whole summer holidays, after all. Shinichi did not know what to talk to him about either, really, after having met so abruptly in the middle of a _murder_ case! Besides, it had seemed to him as if the magician was deep in thoughts when Shinichi had left the café. Only now did he realize what those thoughts might have been.

And while Shinichi was curious, really curious about how Kaito had reached that conclusion, he refrained from asking. What mattered now was that Kuroba had found out – and so blatantly saying it too, almost as if he were confessing to his own double identity as KID. Or was the former-thief even thinking about it? Or had the realisation that a tiny kid was actually a grown adult completely stupefied him into incoherency?

Only one way to check then. And one way to confirm. They'd have to lay all the cards on the table.

Time to confess.

* * *

Kaito knew that Kudo suddenly leading him away to a private place meant that he was right. He was right! This was _him_ – Tantei-kun!

And he didn't know how – Kudo Shinichi and Edogawa Conan, the same person? Hakuba had reached to somewhat a similar conclusion a few weeks ago, but chalked it up to fatigue and tiredness. Hakuba thought he'd been going mad, but Kaito already knew he was mad – madly in love!

And Kami-sama, wasn't that cheesy? But Kaito couldn't keep the joyous grin off his face as he followed Kudo into a deserted alley.

Kudo turned to face him and his face showed none of the surprise he'd felt earlier, but Kaito knew masks very well. And Conan-kun's masks? Oh, intimately. Just like Kudo knew Kaitou Kid's.

And that was the first thing that came out of the detective's mouth.

"KID," Shinichi said, eyes narrowed, basically confessing his identity as Conan by recognising Kaito's other self.

"Yes, Tantei-kun?" Kaito smiled back fondly.

He'd already decided long ago to tell him his identity. And Kudo had likely deduced it himself before Kaito could tell him too, Kaito didn't doubt. But unlike with Hakuba, Kaito didn't evade the accusation – perhaps because it was not an _accusation_ , only a form of address, as it always was with Conan – but instead, he confirmed it.

Yes, he was KID.

This was the man – Edogawa Conan, Kudo Shinichi – he'd trusted his life with, trusted to bring down the Black Organisation, and he would surely trust his identity as KID to him.

Shinichi's shoulders slumped ever so slightly – in relief? Resignation?

Kaito may have been the best at observing Conan, but parts of him were still mysteries, would always be and that was just why his rival had enticed him so much. For a genius who could read people like open books, Conan's – Shinichi's – mysterious personality and hidden secrets made everything so tantalizing and continuously kept him on his toes.

And at times like these, having to ask to get an answer was sometimes more rewarding than procuring it yourself – because if he did answer and answer truthfully (Not that Kudo was ever known to lie), then it would mean that Kudo trusted him, didn't he?

So, Kaito asked once more, wanting to get a verbal answer.

Softly, as if anything louder than a whisper would ruin the moment, "You're Conan-kun, aren't you?"

"Yes," Shinichi replied equally soft.

And then Kaito was beaming, smiling so hard that it nearly hurt – and knowing the reason, the logic behind it was secondary. Now, when he finally found Conan, as _Shinichi_ , he wanted to say something. Say something he never would have the courage to say before – not when he was still Conan.

"I love you."

* * *

"I love you," Kaito said breathlessly, "I never had the courage, the will, to say it when you were Conan, and so I'm going to say it now. I'm not letting this chance pass by now that I've found you…I'd lost all hope of ever meeting you again."

Shinichi swallowed dryly. He was speechless. This was rather sudden.

"You do realise that I'm not entirely Conan, right? Conan was only a _part_ of me. You don't know me," Shinichi knew he was playing devil's advocate here, wanting to see how sincere Kaito was or if it was just left over emotions from what he'd felt for 'Conan'.

"And I'm not entirely KID either," Kaito said with a smile, "But you still –"

He faltered then, fumbling up his words, embarrassed all of a sudden.

"I mean – you – I don't want to assume, but – you do like me, right?"

"I loved _KID_. I don't know Kuroba Kaito." Shinichi replied, hardening his eyes.

He wanted Kaito's honesty, his truth, but Kaito had just found out about his identity as Conan and was definitely confused. He didn't want a relationship with someone who knew only half of him, who based his feelings by a version of him that was long gone. Shinichi had had time to accept Kaito's identity as KID, Kaito did not.

"Besides, Ran likes you," Shinichi continued, hating every word that passed through his lips, "I liked KID. And you liked _Conan_. Not who I am now. We don't even know each other properly. Speaking of knowing, does Ran even know you're here? Know that you're confessing to her best friend you only met a few months ago? Know that you're not going to go out with her like she's been hoping and you've been leading her on?"

"I wasn't leading –" But Kaito falls silent when he realises what Shinichi is saying.

He can hear the meaning behind his words now. If Kaito wanted Shinichi, he had to want _Shinichi_ , not Conan.

And that meant finishing things with Ran, because even if they hadn't gone out together, their little private talks and walks had seemed enough like a pseudo-date. And Kaito would have to admit to himself that if he hadn't realised who Shinichi was, he might have actually asked Ran out.

Shinichi was asking him to start afresh. He was asking everything to be truthful this time. He was asking him to be sure, to think carefully before he chose Shinichi over Ran. And that meant no hesitation or second thoughts.

That meant explaining things to Ran; it would be hurtful to tell her the truth, tell her he was KID and that he loved Conan – Shinichi – instead. How dreadful it would be for her to realise that her friend; who could have been her boyfriend; was instead in love with her best friend.

But it was the right thing to do and Kaito would do it.

"I'll return," Kaito said, his eyes glittering with promise, "I'll definitely return. So…"

"I'll wait," Shinichi smiled wryly at the irony of his statement.

But Kaito nodded, as if Shinichi's words had been the final encouragement he needed, and departed.

* * *

Ran had just gotten off the phone with Eisuke-kun. He had returned to Japan a couple of weeks ago, but between securing classes – he was taking them online, in the end – cleaning out his sister's old place and generally getting settled in, he'd had no time to meet with any one. So, in some time, he would be stopping by the agency to catch up.

Ran hummed happily as she walked down to the office. Mouri Kogoro had gone off to investigate a case (Infidelity, as usual) and it was good time to do some dusting. And perhaps put away some sharp objects, Eisuke-kun did seem to trip over plain air and it was better not to leave harmful objects around.

"Ran-san?"

Surprised at the voice, Ran turned to see Kuroba Kaito standing at the doorway to the office. She invited him inside immediately, offering to bring him some juice or tea.

"No, that's fine," Kaito denied, smiling slightly before turning serious, "I must talk with you about something."

"Oh, alright," Ran agreed, slightly curious about what he had to say. She briefly wondered if he was going to ask her out now, but his expression seemed to be slightly too serious for that, "What is it?"

Kaito closed the door behind him as he stepped in fully, motioning towards the sofa, indicating that they sit and talk.

"Ran-san," Kaito began, "I have recently learned something –" he broke off, pausing and frowning, "I – Ran-san, has Kudo ever told you –"

Ran frowned; worry settling in her stomach, _'Shinichi? What does Shinichi have to do with this? Something he told me –?'_

The conversation she'd had with Kazuha-chan a few weeks ago came back to her in a flash – the talk about whether Shinichi had deduced something about Kuroba-kun and if she wanted to know what it was. She had told Kazuha then, that she would never pry, but if Shinichi or Kuroba-kun would tell it to her, she'd be willing to listen.

"Kuroba-kun," Ran began kindly, hoping whatever he was going to tell her wasn't as big a secret as Shinichi's 'Case'; it figured she'd have to fall for those guys who seemed to hide some huge secret from her, really, "You can tell me what it is. I'm listening."

Kaito smiled at her gratefully, reaching across the table between them to hold one of her hands between his own, "Ran-san, before I say anything, let me tell you this – I genuinely like you, really I do,"

Ran smiled a brightly at him, even as some part of her wondered why she felt that there was a 'but' coming in the next few words.

"And know that I never meant to hurt you; in _any_ way," Kaito stressed, squeezing her hands a bit, eyes wide and earnest, but she was too apprehensive to squeeze back, "But, I'm sorry."

"Kuroba-kun?"

"I can't go out with you," Kaito said regretfully, confirming Ran's fears.

"What?" Ran's voice came out as a shocked whisper, "I – I mean –"

"I know I've been very unclear in my actions," Kaito continued, maintaining eye contact with her, as if she'd be able to see the truth in his indigo eyes, "and I never meant to lead you on or give you hope that I'd be asking you out. But –"

"Why?" Ran interrupted, "Why? We get along so well! And I thought we had some potential – I don't understand –"

"I'm KID. Or at least, I used to be,"

His words brought Ran to a standstill – KID? The Kaitou Kid? She couldn't believe it – really, to have fallen for a former thief! And then as her thoughts caught up to her, Ran blinked out of her stupor. That was it? That was the reason he did not want to be in a relationship with her? What a silly, stupid thing to think!

"It doesn't matter!" Ran cried out, staring at Kaito earnestly, "You were KID! You're not any longer! I don't see why that has to do with anything! You even helped Shinichi bring down –"

Ran's eyes widened as Kaito nodded in acquiescence at her words, _'He helped Shinichi bring down the Black Organisation. Does that mean he knows about…?'_

"Do you know, then?" Ran asked him, "About Conan-kun?" At Kaito's nod, she continued, almost absently, "Oh…I guess Shinichi realised it too, at the park…" Then tightly clasping on to his hands, "But, Kuroba – _Kaito-kun_ – what does that matter?"

She hoped her use of his first name would show that she was serious – it truly did not matter to her if he used to be a thief. He was no longer a thief now. And she knew there was an explanation about KID's sudden reappearance, Kaito's need to don the white cape, she knew! And she'd patiently listen to it, try and understand it. That was no reason to –

"I'm sorry Ran-san," Kaito murmured apologetically, "That's not all,"

There was _more_ to this? Kaito being KID was not _all_? Ran knew that realistically – after all, Kaito was a sensible person. Simply being a former thief would not be enough of a reason to not enter a relationship with her, but she didn't want to think of the possibilities.

"I'm in love with him," Kaito said, his voice impossibly soft and solemn, "With Conan, with Shinichi,"

Ran sucked in a sharp breath, _'What? With – with Shinichi? Oh…oh, this…this person in front of me – is he him? Is he… the 'Kai' Shinichi spoke of? Everything is such a mess…'_

She could make out Kaito getting up from his seat, moving to stand in front of her. His worried face swam in front of her, but she couldn't register much due to the shock. She could vaguely hear herself telling Kaito to leave, telling him to give her some space, telling him to _go_ – and Kaito did so, bowing once before exiting the office and shutting the door after him.

Ran sniffed slightly, keeping her tears at bay. Now was not the time to cry – now she had to call Shinichi, she had to ask him if this was true. Shinichi owed her the _truth_.

Time to make him confess.

* * *

Kaito knew that telling Ran about his identity as KID and his love for a certain Heisei Holmes could have gone much better. It could have also been worse. So, the way it had happened, was perhaps good enough. He also knew he had left her with a lot of questions, which was why he did not rush off to Kudo's place immediately. He himself had a lot of questions to deal with.

Kaito had told Shinichi that he'd return – that he'd tell Ran-san about the truth and return to Shinichi. But it did not mean he had to do it immediately. Besides, hadn't Shinichi already told him that he loved KID? If Shinichi had loved KID, then there was surely hope that the detective would come to love Kaito too and he had enough time to think over this instead of acting rashly.

Shinichi had been right; now that the euphoric feeling of having found Conan had faded slightly, things were much more clear.

The obvious disbelief over Conan's apparent growth (Or perhaps Shinichi's shrinking?) aside, there was also the matter of Shinichi. As in, not Conan but Shinichi. He knew that both were the same people, but even then they were somewhat different. And he did not know Kudo well enough to truthfully say that he loved him even though the statement held true for Conan.

Wasn't this such a hassle? When did Kaito's life get so complicated? Really, to have fallen in love with Conan – a child ten years his junior – was one thing. To realise that the child was not a child? How many people could have said to have done it? Gah…such a hassle, really.

But even then, Kaito knew that he'd never go back on what he'd told Ran-san. He may not love Shinichi right now, but he'd loved Conan back then and given time, he knew that Shinichi would worm his way into his heart again.

"Tomorrow, Tantei-kun…or is it Meitantei now?" Kaito grinned a bit at that thought, "I'll sleep on this revelation today, think on it like you told me to; let Ran-san and you talk this whole mess out and tomorrow – tomorrow we can begin anew. Not as Conan and KID, but as Shinichi and Kaito…"

* * *

As soon as Shinichi entered his parents' mansion, the excited yells of the Shounen Tantei-dan and the exasperated voice of Haibara could be heard. Shinichi made his way to the kitchen, where the voices emanated from, to find that the group had pooled into the kitchenette, where Haibara had let them in and dished out cookies and juice for everyone. Taking a seat at the table, Shinichi turned a careful ear to their enthusiastic chattering. Even though he wasn't Conan anymore, he still cared deeply about the kids and kept himself abreast on how they were doing.

"Did ya run into any cases, Shinichi-nii-chan? Anything the great Shounen Tantei-dan could help with?" Genta asked around a mouthful of cookie.

"Swallow," Haibara commanded, to which he dutifully did, looking eagerly at Shinichi, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi turning similar stares at him.

Shinichi thought back to the one case he'd encountered today – the memory reminding him of Kaito's words, before he pushed that aside. He smiled, instead, and told them about the case. They'd seen enough death around him when he used to be Conan, but even so Shinichi left out most of the details.

Food done with, they decided to adjourn to the library.

"You've not really seen it properly, have you?" Shinichi asked them as he led them down the hall way. Haibara had stayed back to make some coffee for the both of them as Shinichi showed them the collection of books, his voice filling with slight enthusiasm as he talked about them, "There are numerous books here – mostly mystery and crime novels. There are others too, if you search carefully, but they can't really compare to the ones on the mystery genre."

The kids absentmindedly agreed, eyes wide in awe at the huge, two storey library. Shinichi grinned at them as he took a seat on one of the couches – recently added to the library after his return – accepting the cup of coffee Haibara handed to him when she arrived. They maintained silence as they sipped their drink, Shinichi internally debating on whether to speak or not, before randomly starting.

"I met someone today,"

"At the case?" Haibara asked, blowing at her cup of steaming coffee.

Shinichi hummed an affirmative before falling silent again, working his jaw as he played the matter over in his head.

"Kuroba Kaito," Shinichi spoke suddenly, watching as the kids ran about his huge library, deciding which book to read, "You might know him as –"

"Kaitou Kid," Haibara said with certainty.

Shinichi grinned wryly. Haibara was no detective, but she _was_ a genius. Her mind put together certain clues faster than most other people did.

"He's the one you were moping about that day?"

'That day' being the day he'd returned from meeting Kaito for the first time. Shinichi nodded, confirming the shrunken scientist's hypothesis.

"What did he do now?"

"He told me he loves me."

They went quiet after that, returning to their drinks. Genta had pulled out a large encyclopaedia about World Cuisine, much to the amusement of his friends.

"And what about that confession bothers you?" Haibara asked after a while, "Apart from Mouri-chan's involvement in this whole drama, I mean. I don't need to hear any more of your angst ridden mumblings."

"He – he loves Conan," Shinichi said, "Like, who I was for two short years of my life,"

"He can love you as 'Shinichi' then, if you give him a chance."

Shinichi paused at Haibara's words before continuing, "I told him to think of what he's saying. Clear it up with Ran if he's serious and then talk to me,"

"You don't think his feelings are genuine," she concluded in comprehension.

"No, I mean, they probably are," Shinichi frowned, trying to be more articulate, "But I think he's confusing gratitude or fondness for love. Conan was the only one close to him for two years. Conan was the only one who talked to him. Spent time with him. KID most probably latched on to the only person he had around him for comfort – humans are social creatures after all – and he probably cared for Conan, but nothing more than that. He's going to go reflect on his thoughts now. And since he knows all the sides of the story now, he can make an informed decision. Ran will obviously be the better prospect –"

"Are you trying to convince _me_ or placate _yourself_?"

Shinichi slumped in his chair, smiling ruefully as he whispered softly, "I told him I'd wait for him,"

Haibara gave him a judging look and let it be. It would all sort itself out on its own, in the end.

On the other side of the room, Mitsuhiko pulled out a well-worn copy of 'A Scandal in Bohemia'. Shinichi-san had read it many times, as was obvious from its appearance. And besides, ever since Shinichi-san (as Conan) had introduced them to Holmes, Mitsuhiko had wanted to try reading some of the books. Shinichi-san had recommended some of the shorter stories to him, telling him try those before going for the novel length books.

Mitsuhiko had chosen this one because of what Conan had told him about it – Irene Adler appeared in the series for the first time.

Irene Adler. The only woman to hold the attention of Sherlock Holmes. 'The Woman'. A criminal, a thief, an insidious blackmailer and yet a brilliant adversary who managed outwit Holmes and make him regard her as something more than a petty 'thief'. He admired her beauty and her wit, even if it was scarcely romantic.

"Which one did you choose, Mitsuhiko-kun?" Ayumi asked him, a book on the language of flowers, 'Hanakotoba', in her hands.

He showed his selection as Genta approached them, "Ara? What's tha' in the book?"

At Genta's question Mitsuhiko turned the book about, trying to see what had captured his attention. And there, sticking out from the pages was a slip of paper. Mitsuhiko furrowed his brows in confusion, pulling it free, only to realise it was more than a 'slip' of paper.

"It's a letter!" Ayumi said, pointing at the name on the folded sheet.

"It's – it's" Genta stuttered, "It's for Conan!"

Sure enough, printed in neat calligraphy, was the name 'Edogawa Conan'.

The three of them glanced at each other, nodding decisively.

"Let's give it to Shinichi-nii-san!"

* * *

Shinichi wondered what made the kids suddenly hurry over to him, Mitsuhiko leading the group, with such determined faces. When they reached them, Mitsuhiko held out a folded sheet of paper towards him which he accepted. It was kind of cute how they all had their faces set into resolute expressions as they carried out what they seemed to think was a duty.

"It has your name written on it," Haibara mused as she glanced at the beautiful calligraphy.

"It does," Shinichi agreed, even as his mind took a different route of thought _, 'This…this is KID's handwriting! What was he doing? Sending Conan a **letter**? How…absurd…'_

A glance at the book Mitsuhiko held confirmed Shinichi's thoughts as to where it had been found – inside the book, 'A Scandal in Bohemia'. Shinichi could appreciate the irony of it. KID had certainly earned Conan's respect for being more than a petty thief, just as Irene had earned Sherlock's. It seemed that KID did enjoy his jokes –

' _Oh…'_ Shinichi gulped as he unfolded the sheet of paper, reading in the words KID had penned to him, _'Oh, this is…'_

It was a letter of thanks, a letter that briefly recounted their time spent together, taking down the Black Organisation. It was letter that contained more than simple words – it held KID's feelings in it. And Shinichi, the brilliant detective he was, could easily see the genuine truth and fondness KID had held for Conan; it was only too clear in the letter.

"Kudo-kun?"

At Haibara's questioning lilt, Shinichi handed over the paper to her absently, seeing no harm in it. It was way too overwhelming suddenly, even though Kaito had confessed in person this morning. Somehow, realising that Kaito had harboured these feelings for him, ever since he used to be Conan, and had still held on to it – it felt more real after reading the letter.

"Ah, it's from KID!" Genta exclaimed in surprise, as the others read over Haibara's shoulder in curiosity.

"I see, he put a letter for you in your book. So he could let you know how much he appreciated you." Mitsuhiko said earnestly.

Shinichi had truly taught them well, he reflected, as they seemed not to care about him receiving a letter from a thief, knowing that sometimes, some mysteries were deeper than they seemed to be. And to them, it is certain that if Shinichi, or rather, Conan was friends with KID, then he might not be too bad a person.

"Do you still doubt the truth of his words? Feel his emotions to be less genuine? Are his sentiments unclear?" Haibara asked him quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Ayumi said in surprise, before Shinichi could even open his mouth to disagree, "KID-san thinks of Conan-kun as a close friend, just like us!" She slipped back to his old name in habit, especially since they were alone, "He's called Conan-kun a very faithful friend in the letter, see?"

"Yeah!" Genta nodded, "He's used lotta fancy words ta show it!"

Mitsuhiko smiled up at him, before peering back at the letter, "He's called you his light here – or I think that's what it means – the light in shadows and darkness…" The complex kanjis were confusing to the kids, but they were making a good effort, "He seems to deeply care about you. What else could the letter mean?"

Haibara smiled affectionately at their words, before turning her impatient, icy, yet soft gaze on him, repeating, "So, do you still doubt his words?"

"No." Shinichi exhaled. ' _Sometimes, the truth is so very simple, that it takes a child's eye to see it. I'm very thankful to you, my friends.'_

Even without understanding the romantic undertones to it (They were children; after all), they could see what a thankful and heartfelt letter it was.

"No, I don't."

* * *

It is sometime after the kids have left that Shinichi gets the call. Ran's voice is slightly shaken and it is enough for him to realise that Kaito must have paid her a visit. Even as that thought elicits a strange feeling within him, he pushes it away when he remembers that Ran is _hurting_ and he needs to be her best friend now.

"Ran?"

"Did you know?" Even now, there is no accusation in her voice, only a question, and a demand for the truth, "Did you know that Kaito-kun is KID? Is 'Kai'?"

"Yes," Shinichi breathes out, before continuing, "Not immediately, Ran! You must understand – not immediately! I spent most of our visit only –"

"Deducing about Kaito-kun as I asked you to," Ran completes, "But you realised then, didn't you?"

"I did," Shinichi confesses, "But, it wasn't as if it was of any use…Kuroba didn't know who I was back then."

"You…" Ran hesitates a split second, "You didn't tell him you were Conan-kun?"

"No!" Shinichi is quick to deny, "I would never –"

"I know," Ran says, sounding guilty, "I should have known. You would never…you were not even going to say anything if Kaito-kun asked me out, were you? You baka…"

"Ran," Shinichi begins, "Ran, I –"

"It's fine, Shinichi," Ran sniffles a bit, "Okay, not _fine_ then…but it will be. I wouldn't have been happy in a relationship with Kaito-kun if he still cared about you; neither of us would have been happy. So…so, I'm glad that at least you've found Kai-kun,"

Shinichi had nothing to say to that. Nothing that would have been the truth – he wouldn't apologise for actions out of his control, even though he did regret that Ran was hurt. In return, Ran appreciated it that Shinichi did not say 'sorry'. It would have been meaningless and when it came to Shinichi, she preferred to hear the truth only.

"I can't talk with you right now, Shinichi. I – I need some time –"

"I understand," Shinichi said immediately, knowing how she must feel. He had felt somewhat the same when he'd realised that Kaito was KID back when he'd first deduced it, after all. Ran gave a weak chuckle before ending the call.

* * *

Eisuke had not planned his visit to Ran-san's house in this manner. He'd anticipated a nice, quiet evening where he caught up with Ran-san. Coming face to face with a red eyed, distraught girl? That was not part of the plan at all – Kami-sama! Had she been _crying_?

"Ran-san?"

"Oh, it's you, Eisuke-kun," Ran-san got up from her seat, "Gomen, come in…I'll bring some juice for you…"

"Ran-san," Eisuke repeated slightly worried, "What happened?"

The next moment she'd collapsed back onto the sofa, face buried in her palms, as silent tears leaked down her face. Eisuke hovered uncertainly, wondering what could happen to the ever strong and reliable Mouri Ran that would lead her to _cry_.

"Should I call Shinichi-san?" Eisuke asked with concern, knowing that her childhood friend would be best equipped to deal with this and that girls didn't really appreciate someone witnessing their breakdowns, "Or Sonoko-san?"

Ran hastily wiped away her tears, drying them with a handkerchief, "Oh, no need, I've talked to Shinichi already…and Sonoko won't understand…"

 _'Won't understand?'_ Eisuke frowned, before offering, "Would you like to tell me what happened?"

"Oh, but you won't understand either, Eisuke-kun," Ran smiled a watery smile, "And I can't really tell you either –"

"That's okay," Eisuke agreed immediately, not wanting to press her more when she was so distraught, "I'm willing to listen though, Ran-san, whenever you feel like talking,"

"Thank you, Eisuke-kun," Ran gave him a tremulous smile and Eisuke gently patted her hand.

 _'Everything else can come later,'_ Eisuke decided as he brought her a glass of water, ' _For now, Ran-san needs a friend. So, I shall be that friend for her.'_

* * *

Shinichi had barely finished breakfast next morning, when the door-bell rang. Opening it revealed an unusual sight – Kuroba Kaito, dressed up in a casual jeans and shirt, smiling softly at him as he stood upon the porch.

"Hello," the magician began, bowing slightly and coming up with a red rose in his hand which he presented to Shinichi, "I'm Kuroba Kaito, a magician."

Shinichi understood the words for it was.

And he smiled back, accepting the rose and tucking it into his coat pocket.

"Kudo Shinichi, a detective."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story is not over. NOT. OVER. One more chapter to go!
> 
> Which will take at least a week to come out because of exams...


	7. Secret Identities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito and Shinichi talk...Shakespeare and Disney make their presence known...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...so the ending might be cheesy. Very, very cheesy. And with fluff. Lots of fluff. Don't know what came over me.
> 
> Possible withdrawal from all that angst :P Or the euphoric feeling of end of exams... :D If you want to blame anyone, blame Shakespeare. Or King Lear's kids. Either way, that old guy is to blame for the cheesy ending.
> 
> Also, Happy White Day!
> 
> Let me know how you liked it!
> 
> Enjoy~  
> .
> 
> Note: Please read till the end. I've left a few acknowledgments in my author's note after the chapter and news regarding the bonus heist chapter.

"I'm Kuroba Kaito, a magician."

"Kudo Shinichi, a detective."

No masks, no falsehoods, no lies, no omitted truths.

No more secret identities.

This was them – Kaito and Shinichi. No more and no less.

Shinichi silently stepped aside, wordlessly inviting Kaito inside. Kaito grinned at that before complying. They had a lot to talk about. A lot to say to each other. And what better time to do it than the present?

* * *

It had been four months now, four months since Kaito and Ran's not-break-up.

While Ran had held no ill will towards Shinichi at all; he had not lied to her truly and when she'd asked, he had told her everything; she did harbour some resentment towards Kaito for a while. It was simply a left over bitter feeling from having liked him and then being rejected because Kaito was in love with her best friend. Eisuke had helped her overcome most of it, being a faithful friend and a compassionate listener. But when the Suzuki heiress started giving Kaito the evil eye, Ran completely let go of her anger, rushing in to defend her friend from Sonoko like the true angel she was.

Kaito and Ran had grown close as friends now, keeping their distance for a while but still interacting during college hours. Besides, they both had other people to spend time with – Kaito with Shinichi, whenever they could talk on the phone or spending time together during weekends when Shinichi returned to Tokyo, and Ran with Eisuke. They would spend time catching up with one another or generally hang out whenever they could. Eisuke and Ran were keeping it at friendship for now, but Ran had told Shinichi that she might give him a try – Eisuke seemed to genuinely care for her since high school after all. Also, she might be developing a bit of attraction towards him; he was quite charming in a different sort of way. Nothing immediate, of course, but she was willing to give it a try some time soon.

Kaito and Shinichi had started talking more freely, meeting with each other whenever they could and they spoke of things from their personal lives that had been untouched before. Those three words had never been uttered since that fateful day when Kaito had said them to Shinichi, but that was perhaps for the better... They were re-discovering parts of the other that they had once fallen in love with and some things just couldn't be rushed.

They did not go on 'dates'. The word felt foreign to them. And as evidenced by Shinichi's luck, going on a successful date seemed to be an impossible challenge. Even if stumbling across corpses did not happen so frequently with Kaito around, it was better not to tempt fate.

So they met. They met and they talked; they shared secrets over cups of tea, discussed books at lunch time, ranted about the unending exams during dinner, curled up on couches to watch magic shows or Animal TV, held friendly football matches (one-on-one's that Shinichi always seemed to win), played poker and chess, squabbled over their favourite fictional hero heatedly yet passionately…

_"…I always wanted to be a detective, you know? Ever since I was a kid and I'd discovered Sherlock Holmes."_

_"Did you? I knew I wanted to be a magician the first time I saw Oyaji perform on stage."_

_"Yeah? When was that?"_

_"I must have been five or so…I'd often arrange all my soft toys and pretend they were my audience as I pulled off a few amateur magic tricks!"_

_"I used to do the same! Act like both the detective and the culprit, revealing the trick behind the crime…"_

Childhood memories, their families, ambitions, little things that had been glossed over before were revisited and talked about in depth. It had felt slightly awkward at first, but before they knew it, they were slipping into familiar banter.

_"…Aoko and I first met at the clock tower, you know, the one in Ekoda? I'd held a heist there once –"_

_"Wait a sec! Heist? At the clock tower? Do you mean the one where you engraved a message on the clock's face?"_

_"Yes…but, how did you –? Wait…you were the one!"_

_"Um…"_

_"You shot at me! With a gun! And **real** bullets!"_

_"Hey! I didn't shoot at **you**! I shot at the strings holding the cloth – and my aim was perfect! And I've **never** missed my mark, okay?"_

_"Whatever, Meitantei…you nearly gave me a heart attack when you started firing, you know? But, that was exhilarating! No one's ever gotten so close to catching me since that one time!"_

_"Only you would find such a situation **exhilarating** …"_

And that soon became one of their most favourite memories – to think they'd encountered each other as Kaitou Kid and Detective Kudo Shinichi even before the whole 'Conan' ordeal – Kaito firmly declared it was fate! Shinichi just called it coincidence, but he shook his head fondly at Kaito's romanticism.

_"…It was foolishness. And arrogance coupled with a lack of awareness. I was too focused on Vodka to notice Gin come up behind me."_

_"But what did they **do**? To make you… **shrink**?"_

_"Poison. One that was supposed to be undetectable in the body. Cause of death – unknown. The post mortem report would declare it to be a natural death…"_

_"But you didn't die –"_

_"No. No, I didn't die. What happened to me was a **side-effect**. 99.99% recipients of the poison died, exactly like the poison should kill. I was one of the 0.01% that shrunk instead of dying."_

_"It was…all… **chance**?"_

_"Yes. All chance. The… transformation, for lack of better words, was painful – like my blood was boiling, my bones were melting and my skin felt to be on fire…I almost thought I died…and then I woke up to some concerned officers calling me **little boy** …I was sure I was going mad…"_

_"I'm glad, I'm just glad you didn't die… This, all this – taking down the Black Organisation – would have been impossible without you, Meitantei,"_

_"There were others – the FBI, CIA, Secret Police –"_

_"And I'd have never worked with any of them. I'm telling you, it'd have been impossible without you…Shinichi…"_

_"Thanks…Kaito…"_

That had been one nerve-wrecking talk they'd had, but it was definitely needed. Talking about why he'd been Conan had been difficult when it was Ran – his childhood friend and the one person he'd known for nearly all his life – but talking about it with Kaito was a whole different experience. Because Kaito… Kaito knew; he knew what it was like to have a double identity, a secret that he couldn't share, a part of him that he'd always have to hide from prying eyes; he knew and understood.

_"Aoko had just told me that KID was a better magician than me, and well, that seemed like an insult, you know?"_

_"Because no one's better than you?"_

_"Yeah – hey, don't laugh! That's true! I learnt from the best there was and no one could be better than Oyaji! So, yeah…I decided to confront KID and prove her wrong."_

_"And then? How did you just go and 'confront' KID?"_

_"Did I mention that I have a portrait of Oyaji in my room?"_

_"No…what does that have to – oh! Don't tell me, it gives away to some kind of hidden room?"_

_"Spot on, Meitantei…So, turns out Oyaji had rigged it to give away after a certain time and when I accidently pressed it, voila – I found myself in an underground room, kind of a basement, filled with KID paraphernalia! So, I donned on the suit and cape and decided to meet the impostor – surely an impostor, because I could clearly see Oyaji used to be KID…"_

_"Wait, who was the impostor then? The…assistant?"_

_"Konosuke Jii, my father's assistant, yes. And now he's mine too. Apparently, he knew that KID had been killed by the Black Organisation and was trying to lure them out by playing bait…"_

Shinichi had known about the organisation's search for the mythical Pandora and KID's decision to act like bait, but it was a whole different thing hearing bits and pieces from Kaitou Kid and learning the whole truth behind it from Kuroba Kaito. The former had been due to necessity and the latter was a sign of trust. A whole different kind of trust from the one Kaitou Kid and Edogawa Conan shared, but equally as precious, equally as important.

_"…Ran and I, I'm sure we could have been something. I know I loved her, loved her oh so very much. But then, Conan happened and that affection morphed into sibling love."_

_"I know, Aoko and I ... I took her out on one date, you know?"_

_"You did?"_

_"Yeah, turned out to be on the day of a heist; I think it was on purpose; definitely on purpose, so that Aoko could prove to her father that I'm not KID…"_

_"Oh, Kaito…"_

_"I know, I **know** – that was when I was sure that my lies would only drive us apart. She believed me when I said I was not KID, how was I to ever tell her after everything was over that they were all right? Her father's fleeting suspicions, Hakuba's near conviction…she'd have been devastated to know she was the only one unable to see the truth behind my lies…"_

_"I – Kaito – Ran suspected me too, you know. Convinced, almost. And yet she never said anything because she wanted me to tell her on my own time. And I knew that, yet – yet I concocted a plan to show Conan and Shinichi as separate identities. I lied to her, misdirected her, wilfully and knowingly, time and time again…"_

_"How – how did Ran-san take it?"_

_"She was angry, oh so angry – and rightfully so – but she understood too. Once she heard the whole story, the true danger behind it all…and by the end, even Kogoro-san and the local police had gotten involved. So, she knew the danger involved in the whole thing and suddenly she was so thankful that I was **alive**... She forgave me instantly. She just let go of everything… and I – I'm blessed, really, to have her as my best friend…"_

_"Yes, she truly is wonderful that way. Do you think that…Aoko might understand too? She hated KID – hated him for taking away her father's time, hated him for taking away **my** time with her, when she learns that **I** used to be KID –"_

_"She cares for you too much. She does love **you** , and I'm sure she'll understand. Even if she disliked KID – and I'm sure hate is too strong a word – she still loves you. Whenever you wish to tell her, she'll understand…"_

Ran and Aoko – the two women in their lives who had once meant the world to them, had once been everything. Alone, with no real parents for company and support, they had been the rock to lean upon, the one they'd found comfort in, the one they had considered _home_. Not that they still didn't mean so much, but both were pretty sure that Ran and Aoko were no longer 'The Woman'. For Shinichi, for a long time, KID and now slowly, Kaito was 'The Person'. Just like Shinichi was for Kaito.

But, even so, Ran and Aoko had played such a huge part in their lives that talking about them was inevitable. They were a part of their past and present, and if Kaito and Shinichi were to make a future with each other, then discussing their first lady loves was but natural.

Kaito did not tell Aoko the truth about KID just then. And probably wouldn't till quite some time. Perhaps when he had enough courage to do so, perhaps after Shinichi and Kaito got together properly, perhaps…he didn't know, but he knew he would. One day, he certainly would.

_"…I was so surprised to see a kid at the rooftop; really, I hadn't expected anyone but Nakamori's men. Mouri had thoroughly misled the others that half my work was done! You though, you were a surprise. I never expected your presence there."_

_"Well, to be honest, I never much cared for thieves either. So, I didn't really think I'd go to that heist."_

_"So, I was an exception? My, I must have really impressed you, Meitantei!~"_

_"A **curiosity**. A retrograde thief who announced his arrival before committing the theft, who wrote his note in codes? Well, I was intrigued,"_

_"Ha! Whatever, Meitantei! I know you couldn't resist me!"_

_"Shut up! Don't flatter yourself too much! How did **you** feel being outsmarted by a kid? Eh?"_

_"Well, you weren't actually a **kid** , were you? I don't think it counts…"_

_"I terrified you, didn't I? Especially that first time!"_

_"You literally told me you'd turn me into a legend by sending me to a 'graveyard' called prison and then proceeded to smash a cruise ship engine room phone to bits! With a soccer ball! And you looked like a six year old brat! What was I supposed to think?"_

_"Ha! I actually **did** terrify you!"_

_"Not for long, don't sound so smug! Once I decided to look past the childish visage and into your genius mind…"_

Yes, once Kaito had stopped seeing Conan as a child but just like another detective, it had stopped being so mind-boggling. Not to say that Conan didn't surprise KID at times, but Kaito had returned those 'surprises' with equal vigour – kick starting a friendly rivalry between the two. And it had been that very decision of Kaito's – to look past Conan's physical age – that had allowed him to fall in love with Tantei-kun. So, perhaps, the entry of 'crazy-kid-with-superpower-soccer-balls' into Kaitou Kid's life was quite a blessing, in the end.

_"…Are you icthyophobic?"_

_"Eh? Where did this come from?"_

_"You seem to dislike the very mention of those particular aquatic creatures. And that one time when we went on a recon mission with Jodie-sensei to a sushi shop…"_

_"Yeah, well…"_

_"Hmm, I did think so – hey, Kaito? You know it's perfectly alright, don't you?"_

_"It's not a very common fear…and well, people usually have a disbelieving reaction to it…"_

_"That doesn't matter; all kinds of phobia are legitimate…Kaito, you do understand – hey, Kai – I – you know, I once actually met someone who was triskaidekaphobic –"_

_"Triskai – what?"_

_"Triskaidekaphobia. Literally the fear of number thirteen."_

_"Oh, at a case then, I presume?"_

_"Yeah, he immediately ruled out as the culprit, considering…"_

Phobias were much different from giving up your secret identities. Phobias were vulnerability – a deep mental fear that claimed you and refused to let go. And relinquishing the truth about that to someone was a whole different kind of secret.

Letting Aoko knew was alright; she was his childhood friend and even though she laughed and poked fun, Kaito knew it was her way of making light of things, her way telling him it didn't matter and that he was still the same old Kaito and she wasn't suddenly going to treat him as fragile china or feel it to be ridiculous. Also, she would never ever let anyone else know of it, no matter how much she teased him about it in jest, she'd never let anyone else do so.

But Shinichi…Shinichi was a different matter. So, for him to accept it and tell him it was perfectly legitimate…it had been a weight off his shoulders. And the Meitantei had his own way of distracting Kaito from it – bombarding him with random facts, some related to various phobias, some queer cases he'd come across, casual deductions spouted almost by instinct – well, it was just so _Shinichi_ , that Kaito had smiled affectionately.

_"…And you're such a coffee addict! Did you know what you'd told me once?"_

_"What?"_

_"Well, it was almost unintentionally…"_

_"What?"_

_"Uh…I handed you coffee and you were all like… 'This is great KID, I love you.'"_

_" **What**?"_

_"Yeah, who **says** that in such a manner? And I'm pretty sure it's the **coffee** that inspired it,"_

_"…Well, you do make good coffee…"_

_"Gah! What do you even like about that bitter drink? You don't even add enough milk or sugar to it!"_

_"I do add milk and a little sugar, well sometimes, but I do! – You should know, after all those times you've made it for me."_

_"I do, which is why I'm so surprised how you can drink that concoction – that amount of sugar is practically tasteless!"_

_"You just add an inordinate amount of sugar to everything!"_

_"Hey! I like sweet things!"_

_"Uh, how did we end up discussing about sugar again?"_

_"Discussing your poor taste in sugar, more like…"_

And some conversations were baseless, pointless, and just plain old bickering, yet it was just like them. Just like old times as they squabbled over little, meaningless things, gently ribbing each other teasingly. It felt nice, it felt comfortable, it felt right. What more was needed?

_"…Heiji and I met on a case when I was Conan. And you won't believe this – Heiji had gotten some kind of Chinese white liquor, Paikaru – and I don't know why, but it turned me back!"_

_"Turned…you back? To Kudo Shinichi? Are you serious? Wine! **Wine** turned you back?"_

_"I don't really know why either. Haibara said something about some properties of the wine; probably the bacteria used to ferment it or even the duration for fermentation might have had something to do with it…"_

_"Huh. So why didn't you use it again? To turn back?"_

_"I thought of the same thing at first. But it didn't work; I'd supposedly built up immunity for it."_

_"Well, Tantei-han's visit was certainly eventful."_

_"You don't know half of it. The second time we met…"_

Both of them would have to agree, some friends and acquaintances of theirs were just too quirky to be considered normal. From shrunken scientists to phantom thieves, from obsessed detectives to crazy fans, from wealthy heiresses to eccentric witches…

_"…And then she –"_

_"Whoa, hold on! Are you serious?"_

_"Of course I am! What's so hard to believe?"_

_"A witch, Kaito? A **witch**?!"_

_"Hey, if shrinking down to one third of your height is possible –"_

_"That was due to a poison! Actual science –_

_"I find it very less science-y to be honest, more like magical mumbo-jumbo –"_

_"– And you're telling me you had a witch in your high school class! That's a little hard to believe…"_

_"Well, even if she didn't have magic – and I'm not kidding, she did! Not hallucinating either, okay? – She'd still be a witch anyway. Too creepy to be anything else…Did you know she actually foretold your appearance at the clock tower?"_

_"Wha –?! She did?"_

_"Yeah, something about a 'rival from the east', with the 'cunning of the devil' and stuff."_

_"Yeah, that sounds creepy…"_

In the end, they'd agreed to disagree on that. Pandora was a myth and something yet unproven. Magic on the other hand – there were simply so many ways to misdirect and fool one's senses, that it had thousands of explanations to it. Shinichi would never really believe the existence of it and Kaito couldn't really blame him either – he had not believed Akako's crackpot stories and voodoo magic till he'd seen it first-hand. And even then, hallucinogens could always play a huge role – Gah! He's started thinking like a detective now…

_"…A car? A whole car in your underground room?"_

_"Uh huh, I should have known, if there was anything remotely fascinating about the whole 'KID' thing, it would be the fact that Oyaji stored some kind of vintage car down there…"_

_"Of course –"_

_"You're actually admitting it!"_

_"– isn't the mere fact that he managed to fit a whole car down there so fascinating – wait, it **is** whole, right?"_

_"Er, yeah,"_

_"No scratches or broken parts? Engine running smoothly?"_

_"Oh come on, Meitantei!"_

_" **Kaito**."_

_"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. Had a thick layer of dust when I first found it, but it's all spick and span now. I tried a test run, the engine started well enough after Jii-chan looked it over."_

_"Good. You've got to take me down there one day…"_

And what conversation could be complete without bringing cars into it? In fact, KID's hang-glider garnered far less fascination than the car did, even though Kaito relished in explaining the mechanism behind it and Shinichi would have to admit that he was impressed.

_"…It can act as a locator for the Detective Badges, a transceiver, the lens can zoom in…well, I'm pretty sure it underwent some more modifications over time."_

_"Wow, that's a lot! And here I thought you actually needed those glasses to **see** , or I'd have stolen those off you every time before my heist!"_

_"Kleptomaniac…That's not a compliment!"_

_"And? What about that monstrous soccer ball belt of yours?"_

_"Ah, that was admittedly one of Hakase's better inventions. Though considering that most of his innovations go up in smoke – literally – perhaps that's not saying much. It could hold only one ball at first –"_

_"Only **one**?! Damn…"_

_"–though it was modified to hold two, later. Besides, you don't get to bitch about my gadgets. Remember that card-gun of yours? And your flash bombs and smoke bombs? All those flashing lights gave me headaches! And your cans of sleeping gas; oh how much I detest them…"_

_"This coming from the one who had a tranquilizer dart in his watch, yeah, I totally believe you, Shinichi. Besides, that card gun is a master piece – did you ever know how it shoots out cards?"_

_"Well, no, must have been quite the mechanism…"_

_"It is! The magazine slot is normal, only filled with a new and slightly modified pack of cards…"_

In a contrasting manner, their current talks, compared to those had as Conan and KID, were quite light hearted. It was no longer a discussion filled with undercurrents of desperation and hope, brimming with a need for freedom. It had a pleasant sort of lilt, content in the knowledge that they had a long time ahead of them without the threat of death looming overhead.

And before they realised it, Kaito and Shinichi were just as close as KID and Conan used to be. The epiphany struck the detective first; always good at figuring out his own emotions, though he still fumbled over others' (especially if it was his object of affection).

Shinichi still remembered how it had happened, when it had happened – the memory was not so easily forgettable, but then, when it came to Kaito, almost all the memories were stark clear in his mind.

Kaito had been juggling with eggs on a whim, with a slight arrogance to show that he could do it, while Shinichi watched him from his seat at the dining table at the Kudo house in Beika. Then the magician had the spectacular idea to mix in the soy sauce bottle, the salt shaker and a random can of mackerel that had been lying about. And the first few rounds went well enough that Kaito looked over at Shinichi and gave him a smug grin.

Shinichi refrained from pointing out what the tin can contained, but Kaito had already noticed Shinichi's diverted attention and taken a peek. The result was a very squeaky (I don't _squeak_ , Shin-chan!) yelp and the eggs, soy sauce and salt shaker dropped heavily on to his head. While the soy and salt were safely contained, the eggs smashed on to his head and drenched him with yolk. Add the bumps on his head, courtesy of the soy bottle and salt holder, it made for a very disgruntled magician. Shinichi stifled the urge to snort.

 _'Kami-sama_ ,' Shinichi thought as he brought his cup up to his lips to cover his amused expression at Kaito's pouting visage. The magician dared not to look anywhere near the fallen can of fish as he walked upstairs for a shower, leaving Shinichi to clean up the mess, _'I'm in love with an idiot.'_

And the realisation was so sudden and utterly _normal_ , that Shinichi knew it had happened again – he'd fallen in love with him all over again, but this time with the whole of Kuroba Kaito, and not merely a part of him.

Shinichi had taken a huge breath then and calmed down. Being in love with Kaito a second time was just as euphoric as it had been the first – only this time, he wasn't in love with a phantom that was liable to disappear, but a man who was most assuredly here and real.

The detective had smiled then and waited till Kaito was sure of his own emotions. They had time after all.

* * *

Winter. The time of first snow.

The cold had set in and Shinichi and Kaito tumbled into the Kudo manor desperately searching for warmth. Kaito had taken to spending most of his days at Shinichi's house every time their college let up for break and Shinichi returned to Tokyo. He'd even converted a guest room and stuffed it with his clothes and other magic tricks he mostly practiced. One bookshelf was already filled with most of his books from home and many more that Kaito had bought that year. Shinichi might as well invite him to move in with him, really.

Switching on the centralised heater, they adjourned to the library, easily the warmest room due to its thick carpets and personal heater that was left on for most of the day. And well, Shinichi did spend most of his time in there.

Kaito went off to prepare hot chocolate and coffee – Shinichi would admit to being addicted to Kaito's way of brewing it – while the detective sank into an armchair, gazing up at the vast collection of books around him. It was a most delightful sight, rows and rows of books that had been collected over two generations.

Kudo Yusaku had bought most of them, but Shinichi himself had added quite a few – mostly Shinmei Kaori's new Detective Samonji series. Having personally being involved in that case when he was Conan had made him quite attached to the books. Also, he did enjoy reading about Detective Samonji's young assistant – a six year old child with huge glasses and great insight – that had been inspired by Conan. So many things, left over from his Conan days, still lingered. Even though Edogawa Conan had disappeared, he'd affected too many people; he'd been affected by too many people to be forgotten. Especially –

"Here, Meitantei," Kaito said and Shinichi reflexively grasped at the cup.

– Yes, especially KID. Kuroba Kaito.

Kaito set down his own cup on the table as he stretched, popping a few bones as he did so. Shinichi was reminded, all of a sudden, of a similar incident a couple of years ago, when he was still Conan.

_Conan and Kaitou Kid's collaboration…their frequent meetings…the library…KID's coffee…his accidental declaration of love…_

While Shinichi did not remember it, Kaito had told him about it, the first time Conan had told him those three words and Kaito's subsequent realisation of his own feelings. Remembering that, Shinichi got up, placing his cup of coffee away. He always was one for dramatics after all – and the blame lied solely with his mother.

Crossing over to stand behind Kaito, he wrapped his arms around the other male, embracing him and lightly pulling him backwards. Kaito's hand, which had been moving to pick up his cup, retreated. The magician leaned back into the detective and hummed, slightly surprised by the hug. Shinichi just buried his nose into Kaito's hair.

Kaito smiled at Shinichi's sudden and spontaneous affectionate gesture – the detective did like doing things on a whim, even though it would seemingly have more meaning and thought behind it than Kaito cared to know. It was spontaneity and surprise, two of many things that Kaito loved about Shinichi and that was enough for him.

When the hug did not end after a few moments, Kaito let out an amused and questioning huff, "Shin-chan?"

"I love you."

The declaration was sudden and swift. And like all of Shinichi's statements, it was the absolute truth. Kaito would have gasped if he hadn't already known, known how much Shinichi loved him.

It was quite obvious in his gestures and Kaito had never felt more glad about his cultured talent to read body language – and while Shinichi might have been a difficult study, every action of his showed the affection he felt for Kaito. Though, it certainly was one thing to know it and another to hear it – Shinichi had never really uttered the words after that one time as Conan, after all.

As such, he stayed in awed and blissful silence before recovering.

"I love you more." Kaito quipped back playfully.

Shinichi said nothing, tightening his arms around Kaito and burying his nose into the magician's soft, dark brown locks.

"Come on, Meitantei," Kaito let out a laugh, "you're not doing this right. You're supposed to say 'I love you most' now. Haven't you ever watched Disney?"

"No," Shinichi smiled, "Too much fluff and cheer and _pink_ …and no good mystery in it."

"Really!" Kaito huffed, slightly exasperated, but that was such a typical answer and what had he even expected?

"But Shakespeare on the other hand…" Shinichi trailed off, pressing a soft kiss below the shell of Kaito's ear, "Great man."

"Literature, Shinichi?" Kaito sighed teasingly, "You chose Shakespeare over Disney? Blasphemy –"

"Hmm," Shinichi grinned, totally expecting that response. He turned silent for a moment, carefully choosing his words before saying, "My love for you is as vast as the boundless sky, more precious than all the jewels in this world, deeper than the deepest ocean, as ceaseless as life on earth, as infinite as time itself…"

Kaito gave a small huff of amusement at that, eyes crinkling as his face softened into smile at Shinichi's words. The words may have been too poetic and cheesy, but the sentiment was true, "I think I could grow to like Shakespeare,"

"I'm sure you will," Shinichi replied as he pulled away only for Kaito to turn and lean into him, their lips meeting for the first time.

* * *

Their first kiss, as Kaito would later describe it, was as thrilling as their first encounter – as both, KID and Shinichi at the Clock Tower Heist with the gun and cloth over the face of the clock, or KID and Conan on the rooftop of a hotel with the fireworks and flash-bombs.

Breathless and stunning.

* * *

xxx

The End . . . (?)

xxx

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! That's one long romance+angst fic! I never thought I'd write something like this...
> 
> So, first a few acknowledgments before I go on to reply to reviews...
> 
> To Shana Fujioka - Thanks for creating that wonderfully intriguing prompt! It enticed me enough that even with the angst, I still chose to write this story, and I enjoyed each and every moment of it! So, thanks!
> 
> To my best friend - Thanks for having all those sappy conversations and philosophical talks with me! And despite that you'll probably never read this, slash not being your point of interest, thanks for all the help you gave! You're the BEST!
> 
> To all my reviewers - Thanks for your encouraging comments! They really helped, making me feel that I was actually doing a good job at romance (And I know I'm repeating, but this is my first actual romance fic, so I'm glad for your support!)
> 
> Also, to all those who favourited/followed - A big THANKS!
> 
> xxx
> 
> Yes, there will be a bonus chapter - a KID Heist, coming right up! (In about a week or so... :D)  
> ...
> 
>  
> 
> _Preview: His second year of college was admittedly better than his first. There was no more hopeless pining over a pint sized detective, no more staring wistfully at Aoko and Hakuba's picture perfect relationship, no more pointless wishes for Conan-kun's return, no more moonlighting as KID - oh, if only he knew! Being in a relationship with Shinichi was easy, as long as you remembered that said boyfriend was a detective and was quite liable to run into cases or get called for them at all times of the day - sometimes even at 4:00 in the morning!_
> 
>  
> 
> _Add in surprise announcements from Suzuki Jirokichi and Shnichi's somewhat promise to make an appearance, well KID never backed down from a challenge, after all..._
> 
>  
> 
> _"...Don't expect me to go easy on you."_
> 
>  
> 
> _"Of course not, Meitantei..."_
> 
>  
> 
> _And perhaps Kaito had gotten too used to Conan - the Kid Killer - and his limitted reach and influence, that he was pleasantly surprised at what Kudo Shinichi - the Heisei Holmes - could accomplish. Perhaps this would become a rendition of the Clock Tower Heist, huh?_
> 
>  
> 
> _"...Maybe I should have asked you to go easy on me, after all, Shin-chan..."_
> 
>  
> 
> _Eh, no. This was better, definitely. The thrill behind this kind of chase was uncomparable. It was different from Conan's taunting smirks, his smug grins and glinting eyes that claimed to have figured him out. This was Shinichi's covert operation, orders issued from the shadows and stealthily commanded whispers - it was a new-old territory, it was exhilarating!_
> 
>  
> 
> _And perhaps Nakamori-keibu was right, in the end - KID was certainly crazy. Who the hell laughed in delight when you were literally cornered by the police? Well, no matter, KID would still escape, as he always did._
> 
>  
> 
> _After all, you can never capture a **phantom**..._


	8. The Heist, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited, highly anticipated heist...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for the long-long gap. Just finished giving a major exam and another one's coming up soon. But, here we are! The promised heist! Now, this is my first time writing a heist, so do tell me how I've done! Hopefully the long chapter makes up for the late update :)
> 
> After great thought, I've decided to separate the chapter as it is too long to read together.
> 
> .
> 
> Also, to all readers of Fated Friendship and Consequences Of Our Actions - sorry for the lateness in updates, but it will be done soon! Thanks again!
> 
> Enjoy~
> 
> .
> 
> "Dialogues"
> 
> 'Thoughts'
> 
> .
> 
> Note: This is Part 1. The chapter has been divided due to the abnormal length.
> 
> Check the GLOSSARY for anything you might not understand.

Kuroba Kaito had not been having a very good morning.

He'd woken up at about 4:30 am – too early, dammit! – to Shinichi's curses as he stumbled out of their bed, mobile at his ear as he hurriedly threw on a button-down shirt and slipped on some trousers. Kaito had grumbled at the unconventional morning greeting, but had merely gotten a hurried excuse about a serial killer – got to go, Kaito! This guy's dangerous, we need to bring him in fast and we've just a got a new lead – and an absent-minded kiss on his cheek as Shinichi slipped on his watch.

Fifteen minutes later, when Kaito had actually, _really_ woken up, brushed his teeth, washed his face (And gotten soap suds in his eyes which left him blinking back tears), Shinichi was gulping down a mug of coffee and nearly out the door. Kaito had sighed exasperatedly but waved him off, cautioning him to be careful.

One and half hour later – showered and fed – Kaito lounged in the living room, deciding to randomly flip channels on the T.V. looking for entertainment till his afternoon show at Kashia Hotel, when the news showed him something unexpected.

"And Suzuki Jirokichi-san has challenged Kaitou Kid once again!" the news reporter was saying enthusiastically, "Will KID, who has been missing in action since a year, accept it and make his appearance? The phantom thief has yet to be caught by the police but Jirokichi-san assures us that he will surely accomplish the feat this time!"

Turning to a grinning Jirokichi, the news agent asked, "Sir, could you please tell us more about this jewel?"

As Jirokichi went on to elaborate, Kaito cursed, switching the television off as he raced out of the house, checking the mail box for the day's newspaper. The paper was sure to have more details about this.

 _'Really,'_ Kaito bristled with annoyance, _'Can't even let me retire in peace!'_

But even as he thought that, Kaito could feel a familiar sensation of thrill and anticipation race up his spine.

* * *

Kaito's second year of college was markedly better than his first.

For one, he was no longer pining hopelessly after Tantei-kun, for two, Aoko knew about Kaitou Kid.

Kaito had finally gotten the nerve to tell her, a few months after his debut show on New Year's Eve. Now, he'd imagined various scenarios on how it would play out – Aoko would be angry, hurt, disbelieving or furious beyond words perhaps. He'd never thought she would _cry_.

Her tears were one of betrayal and they'd stung Kaito more than any other reaction would have, and his guilt only increased tenfold when she simply threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly, happy that it was all over and he was safe.

Shinichi had been right, Kaito mused, because no matter how much she hated – _disliked_ – KID, she cared too much about Kaito to ever be mad at him for long. Comparatively, she'd taken the Shinichi-used-to-be-Conan theory better than the Kaito-used-to-be-KID theory, accustomed enough to the weird happenings around her (Kaito and Akako were enough to lift one's belief off reality) to accept 'shrinking by a poison'.

Hakuba, on the other hand, had been stupefied. He'd sputtered incoherently about the topic for a while (Shinichi would have loved to see that, Kaito thought mischievously) before falling silently contemplative about it. And from what Kaito had heard, it had taken a longer and in depth conversation with Shinichi before Hakuba had been satisfied. Also, it was less of a blow to Saguru's pride to realise that it wasn't actually a _seven_ year old child who regularly beat KID at his heists while the seventeen year old Hakuba Saguru fell slightly short.

What had slightly vexed the magician was that now Hakuba and Shinichi were closer than before, having old experiences with Conan to relate to. Which, Kaito really couldn't and shouldn't complain about, considering that's how their relationship had come to be too, but _still_ … Hakuba and Kudo? Two Holmes fanatics? Kaito would never survive that nerd-fest…

In the end, even Toyama Kazuha had been told about his identity as KID – that was entirely not of his violation, but Kaito hadn't been quite as miffed when he realised she'd mostly deduced it on her own, after hearing from Heiji that Shinichi had been quite smitten about a certain thief in white.

Certainly, Kaito wondered dryly, there were no secrets in _their_ group. Either that, or Heiji simply feared what kind of revenge his girlfriend might extract on him for keeping anymore life-changing secrets. Shinichi insisted it was the former and Kaito took it to mean the latter.

Suzuki Sonoko had been kept in the dark, as had Sera Masumi. Kaito didn't think he would survive it if Suzuki decided to go into total fan-girl mode around him and let his secret slip accidently – she wasn't as covert as she liked to think she was, even during his previous heists where she wished to help him. Gossiping about KID and praising his genius skills with her was one thing – who didn't like to hear praise for oneself? – but having her fawn over him was another.

And telling Sera…well, Kaito rather liked his bones intact, thank you very much. It seemed that she still hadn't forgiven Kaitou Kid completely for that incident nearly two years ago at the Blush Mermaid Heist. He'd interacted with her briefly during the takedown of the Black Organisation, but it had been through communication systems and indirectly passed messages. She'd always seemed a bit eager to have a fist-to-fist talk with him and Kaito would really prefer to keep his distance.

His first, official meeting with one Haibara Ai had been rather memorable…

_"…Hello! I'm Kuroba –"_

_"Kaitou Kid."_

_"Er…Yes, well. It's Kuroba Kaito, now."_

_"Huh."_

_"Nice to meet you…?"_

_"I suppose you're alright."_

_"Thank –"_

_"Kudo-kun could do better than you, though."_

_"Ah…"_

_"Whatever. You have my blessing and whatnot. Please show yourselves out, Kudo-kun, Kuroba-kun."_

_"Right…"_

Shinichi had been rather too amused at the whole exchange and Kaito had felt as if he was meeting Akako Part Two. Consequently, Kaito had taken great delight in introducing Shinichi to the self-proclaimed witch.

Akako had turned him around, walked literal circles around him as if examining a newly discovered species under her microscope – or a rare spell book that was supposed to have great acclaim. Shinichi's discomfited demeanour was quite the payback, certainly. Also, he was rather pleased to see that Shinichi had not fallen for her allure like most men. Then again, considering that he claimed to see only the truth, it made sense that her deceptive and compelling aura did not affect him and had been seen through.

_"…Figures, the one face my mirror showed me and two people would have it. I guess I'll just have to let the both of you go then."_

_"Mirror, Koizumi-san?"_

_"A truly fascinating one, Kudo-kun. Would you like to come see it?"_

_"Ah…no, thank you. Perhaps some other time…"_

Kaito hadn't stopped grinning after that, loving the spooked out expression on Shinichi's face. He'd also wholeheartedly agreed that Haibara and Koizumi would make quite the pair.

So yes, all in all, Kaito's second year of college was decidedly much better than his first.

It helped that being with Shinichi was also quite easy, despite the physical distance they had to maintain due to living in different cities. And spending time with him every weekend made up for the mere phone calls they exchanged throughout the week. The only thing one had to keep in mind was that Shinichi was a detective and thus liable to stumble (Literally!) into cases or get called for them at any time of the day – sometimes even at 4:00 in the morning!

At such times, he wondered how it would have been if the both of them had to juggle work with college. After all, playing as KID had been somewhat like an inherited family business to him, considering his mother's first profession as a phantom thief.

Meh, Kaito had dismissed, Kaitou Kid was a closed chapter in their story, who'd only existed to counter the oppressing darkness of the Black Organisation with his magnanimous crimes of thieving in an eye-catching white. There was no use pondering it anymore.

And then Suzuki Jirokichi had to prove him wrong.

* * *

"Bocchama," Konosuke Jii had started uncertainly, "are you sure you wish to accept this challenge?"

"Of course, Jii-chan!" Kaito exclaimed, "Kaitou Kid never backs down from a challenge!"

"But you've already retired; Nakamori-keibu has been specifically notified!"

"Yes," Kaito hummed thoughtfully, "perhaps that was the problem. Since it was not a public declaration, old man Suzuki has proposed this challenge rather enthusiastically. I think I should make an appearance thus, if only to tell him personally that I'll be retiring after this heist."

"And you're hoping he'll spread the news?" Jii sighed, "Very well, Bocchama. What do you have in mind?"

"Ah!" Kaito leaned forward eagerly, the low lights in the Blue Parrot bar casting a mysterious shadow on his face, "I've got a rudimentary plan for now, Jii-chan. I'll tell you how much I can before I must leave for my show this afternoon."

"I'll begin the preparations as soon as I can." Jii promised.

"Good." Kaito grinned, "So, this is it…"

* * *

Shinichi and Hakuba poured over the sheaf of papers, cell phones in hand and on speaker.

Shinichi rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "That's his fifth victim. Comparing the positions where he left the first four bodies –"

"It's either east or north-east of the Yamanoto line," Hakuba finished.

"Not the east, I don't think," Heiji's voice came over Shinichi's phone, "Kazuha's been on da lookout there since two hours,"

Kazuha had decided to follow her father's footsteps and become a police officer and having learnt enough from Heiji about covertly stalking – by seeing him do it or stalking Heiji himself – she had volunteered to keep a lookout too. The reason so many amateur detectives were involved was so that the culprit wasn't suspicious of the police's interference. Plus, no one could deny that these teens were the best in their field.

"I've already stationed men around the north-east area," Megure-keibu said from Hakuba's phone, "we should have enough time to stop him from committing the murder."

"That's only if da guy doesn't kill his latest victim before coming ta the drop off spot," Hattori pointed out.

"Thank you for those encouraging words, Hattori-kun," Hakuba retorted dryly.

"Just sayin', Hakuba," Heiji replied before cutting off, "Wait, just got a text from Kazuha! There's one suspicious van in her sight!"

"Megure-keibu," Shinichi began.

"Aa," the Inspector said, "Takagi has it in sight too. We're just to keep a watch now."

This particular serial killer had been on the move since three weeks and finally, working together, Shinichi, Heiji, Saguru and Masumi had managed to figure out his identity. Needless to say, this particular culprit was a genius along with being a psychopath. He'd left them almost no clues and it had been decided in the end that the only thing they could do now was catch him red handed. Keeping a watch on individuals that matched the profile for his victims, they were just in time to realise that one of them had gone missing. Thus, now was a race to capture him before he could do the deed.

"Yo, you lot there," Sera Masumi spoke up then, engaged in a conference call with Heiji so that they could all stay in touch, "Have you ever considered that there might be _two_ culprits?"

A beat of silence. Then –

"What?!"

Megure was the only one to explode, for the detectives had already gone back to contemplating.

"Yeah," Masumi continued, "Our main suspect just walked back into his second house, sans victim. And I couldn't detect any presence inside the house before."

"Shinichi," Heiji said seriously, "I think she's right. Kazuha says tha' the van is still in place. It might be our van, but then again, not so sure…"

"Our man's first house is as empty as ever too," Megure spoke up, "Chiba is still keeping watch there."

"Dammit," Saguru cursed unexpectedly, "How could we have missed this?"

"Or were we wrong?" Shinichi murmured, "Is it not him after all?"

"Nah, it's him alright," Masumi assured, "Our perp just came outta his house. He's got a can of spray with him. Can't see if it is green, but I'm almost positive it is."

Considering the killer delighted in spraying the victim's hair green after their death for some odd reason, Masumi's deduction had a high chance of being correct.

"What do we do, then?" Shinichi asked his fellow detectives, "I'm uncertain about the identity of the second culprit."

"The van's moving," Heiji said suddenly, "I think somethin' went wrong. Either that guy figured out we're staking out or –"

"Our man here," Masumi cut him off, "he's talking on his phone. Getting into his car now."

"They're going to exchange the culprit!" Shinichi gasped.

"What?" Megure's confused question was quickly answered by Hakuba.

"The one who kidnaps the victim's is one guy and the one who kills them is another…"

Thus followed a short car trail and chase. Apparently the kidnapper had also deduced a possible crime scene, but the murderer had another place in mind. Unfortunately, the police had already had men in place for all possible places. They managed to capture the killer and save the to-be-victim, but the kidnapper had fled.

"Damn," Heiji muttered angrily, "I'll try ta cut him off on my bike."

"I'll be right behind ya, Heiji-kun," Masumi agreed.

However, Megure-keibu had called that off, "We can't possibly allow this! How shall I explain to my superiors if you get pulled into an encounter?"

Thus, Heiji, Shinichi and Masumi had been let off, thanked profusely by the police officers, since they'd come all the way to Tokyo from Kyoto on a weekend for helping out in the final stage of the case. Saguru had stayed back to help, since he lived in Tokyo, after all and didn't need to catch a train home. Graciously, he also offered to write in Shinichi's, Heiji's and Masumi's half of paperwork so that they may leave in time and rest up for the next day.

"Thanks, Hakuba," Shinichi clapped him on the back, "I'm really not looking forward to write my case report for this."

"Yeah, yeah," Saguru waved him off, grinning wryly, "One time only, Kudo-kun. I won't do it again. The mountain of paperwork on my desk hasn't really decreased, you know?"

"Of course," Shinichi laughed.

* * *

"Thank you," Kaito smiled at another fan of his who gushed about his latest performance.

Performing at Kashia Hotel was always a delight, the audience was admiring, the lighting was good, the stage was spacious and the owner was accommodating. Kaito wouldn't mind doing shows here even after he went professional for real. Here and at the 'Four Seasons' park near Haido hotel, that is.

The park was an old one, but had been recently renamed because of the additions of a couple of new varieties of perennial and seasonal flowers grown there; one that drew most of the attention however, was the moonflower. It was a perennial flower that blossomed only at night but Japan's cool summers had proved suitable for them to be grown here only as an annual plant.

After bidding his fans a farewell, Kaito quickly made his way back to the Blue Parrot. It was nearly 3:00 pm and he needed to get started on the reply to Jirokichi-san's challenge.

This time, the jewel on display was supposedly a red sunstone, nicknamed 'Star of Apollo' or more precisely, 'Αστέρι του Απόλλωνα', embedded inside a large amulet. It was admittedly brought over from Greece during Suzuki Jirokichi's travels and recently removed from an old family vault; apparently, the old man had so many jewels, he'd almost forgotten about this one.

Translating it into Japanese, the newspaper had printed it as 'アポロの星' (Aporo no hoshi). Frankly, that made more sense to Kaito than the Greek gibberish printed underneath the jewel's picture. Plus, with a name like that, the magician couldn't help the hope stir up within him that this might be Pandora.

True, it was named after the sun god, but you never knew, it might glow red under moonlight too.

Usually, sunstones didn't have any special properties, apart from the fact that the inner core was usually brightly coloured; orange, blue, green or red; and the colouring lightened up towards the edges.

It rather surprised Kaito at first, to hear about the jewel's origin when it was more popularly and commonly found in the far western countries. But, if Pandora was supposed to be a doublet, then one couldn't simply take a look and decide whether the inner glow of the red sunstone was due to its natural properties or because of another gemstone situated within. Kaito decided that there couldn't be a better deception than that and thus, it wouldn't harm to hold it up against the moon.

"Jii-chan!"

"Ah, bocchama," the old man turned, smiling, "I've readied the envelopes and paper. Also, a large amount of blue coloured stamps. We can outline the plan as you write down your answer."

"Perfect," Kaito grinned.

* * *

Jirokichi-san had not planned this as any normal heist.

While normally, a lesser number of people meant a harder time for the thief, it also meant that most officers turned a bit lax. Hence, this time, the jewel in question was going to be displayed during a party he was hosting. There was also the added advantage that KID never sabotaged parties for the guests in attendance no matter how much he'd sabotage a room or museum otherwise.

The plan was perfect!

"Suzuki-san!" Nakamori Ginzo felt like ripping out his hair, "I request you, please, _please_ do not display the jewel at the party! Shift the date!"

"Oh, but I cannot do that," Jirokichi-san shook his head, completely unbothered, "I've already sent out the invitations for the party – nearly two hundred guests – and the RSVPs will be making their way to me soon enough. The caterers have also been chosen. The decorations will be put up by the end of the week, as well as the traps around the amulet. Nothing can be changed."

"No," Nakamori groaned, "Not the party, the date for the heist! Change that! Do not hold a party at the same time."

"I really do not require the help of the police," Jirokichi-san offered him a way out, despite knowing that the Inspector wouldn't take it, "My men and my traps will be sufficient, you do not _need_ to be present."

"Suzuki-san, you do not understa –"

"Suzuki-san," his daughter, Nakamori Aoko spoke up, placing a placating arm on her father's, "I'm sure Otou-san will be alright with your arrangements and comply with your wishes. Only, could you allow Aoko to help out too?"

"Aoko!" Her father was confused but Suzuki simply laughed.

"Of course, ojou-san," Jirokichi-san smiled, "your inputs will be taken into account –"

"No, no!" Aoko shook her head, "Aoko doesn't want anything more, only one room. One room to design by herself, with _one_ trap. Aoko cannot guarantee it will help you catch KID, but it will definitely slow him down."

Both men appeared flabbergasted at that request, even more baffled when she said she wouldn't need more than a day to install it and will do so only one day before the heist (We can't let KID know what it is if he infiltrates the house before, can we?). As such, both men agreed in the face of her confident comments and without knowing what the trap is to be, let her take charge of the designing of one room.

* * *

"There!" Kaito held up one thick sheet of paper, so thick that it could almost be considered a cardboard.

Pushing the dip pen and inkwell aside, he called his assistant over, "Jii-chan! Do you have it?"

"Hai," Jii said, moving over to the table Kaito sat at with a spray can, "Acquiring these specific materials in so short a time was not easy, bocchama,"

"I know, I know. But, what is a heist without a challenge?" Kaito smirked, "So, let's test it out, then! To see if this works…"

* * *

Shinichi stood in the middle of the kitchen, arms folded and one foot tapping irately. He lifted an eyebrow at Kaito's entrance, flicking a glance to the clock on the wall before settling his gaze upon the magician once again.

"Er…" Kaito began, suddenly reminded of a time when his mom was actually at home, waiting to berate him for the lateness of the hour after he returned from playing with Aoko. And your _boyfriend_ reminding you of your mom was not good. "I can explain…?"

"No need," Shinichi replied, picking up a newspaper from the table behind him, "I've seen it already." Shinichi brought it up to his eye level, skimming through the article again, "A KID Heist, huh? In ten days, that too."

"Ah, that – I –"

"I suppose Jirokichi-san must have gotten a reply, by now?" Shinichi wondered, "That must be the reason for your lateness, I see."

"No –"

"No? Then perhaps you were planning the heist already –"

"Shinichi!" Kaito nearly shouted before calming down, "No. I – no, I wasn't doing that. Well, not only that. I had the show at Kashia Hotel in the afternoon too, remember? And then –"

"You went to meet Jii-san" Shinichi concluded, knowing he was right when Kaito remained silent, "Today's a Sunday. I've to leave for my train to Kyoto in the night and I was hoping to spend some time with you. And so, here I come home, late afternoon, to find the house empty."

Kaito didn't have a reply to that. He knew Shinichi must have tried to return as quickly as he could so that they could spend time together. They only ever had weekends during college and sometimes even those had to be cut off if there were exams. Any time they got was treasured. But, Kaito would have to admit that he'd gotten a bit too involved in fleshing out the details of his upcoming heist.

"I've to leave now if I want to catch the last train,' Shinichi informed him as he picked up a small carry bag off the ground, "And next weekend will be out too? You'll be quite busy, I suppose."

Kaito winced. Yeah, that was true. The heist was in ten days and he would need all of it to prepare, while juggling his college life at the same time.

Shinichi simply shook his head in resignation as he moved to leave.

Kaito hated to part on such a note, should he simply apologise and get it over with? It wasn't entirely his fault, but… Shinichi wouldn't fume about this for days, would he? He'd understand –

"Better make this one spectacular," Shinichi called out from the doorway, "for it's going to be your last one."

What? Kaito whipped his head around, a grin stretching across his face. He bounded over to the detective, nearly knocking him over with the force of his hug.

"Ow!" Shinichi grumbled, "Kai, I have a train to catch –"

His sentence was swallowed up by the insistent kiss Kaito pressed upon his lips. After a moment, Shinichi indulged and kissed him back before pulling away. He smiled at Kaito's beaming face and shook his head.

"Do remember to mention you're retiring, though. No more heists, okay? Challenged by the Suzuki's or otherwise," Shinichi said firmly, "Or I'll be forced to catch you for real."

"Ara?" Kaito hummed, entwining his hands behind Shinichi's neck and Shinichi's arms came around Kaito's back automatically to keep him steady, as the magician leaned in close, "So confident~! Do you think you _can_ catch me, Meitantei?"

"Is that a challenge, Kaitou Kid?" Shinichi murmured back, breath fanning the others' lips.

"And if it is?" Kaito breathed softly.

"Then…" Shinichi smirked, "Don't expect me to go easy on you, KID."

Kaito responded with a smirk of his own, "Of course not, Meitantei."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xxx
> 
> GLOSSARY
> 
> Αστέρι του Απόλλωνα - Star of Apollo
> 
> アポロの星 - Star of Apollo
> 
>  
> 
> xxx
> 
>  
> 
> Hopefully you guys enjoyed this! Both the heist and the plot surrounding it. Alas, I couldn't write a plain heist...the murder mystery just had to make an appearance :)
> 
> Also, any questions regarding anything you did not understand in this chapter, please notify me! Either via a review or PM, let me know, so that I may correct it if it is wrong or change it for better understanding! I'm really hoping things didn't bounce off...
> 
> Leave me a review please! I'd be oh so glad if you let me know how you liked this, really!
> 
> .
> 
> REVIEW!


	9. The Heist, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: This is Part 2. The chapter has been divided due to the abnormal length.
> 
> Check the GLOSSARY for anything you might not understand.

"Yo, Saguru!"

Hakuba merely grunted at Kaito's cheerful greeting, sipping irately at his take-away cup of coffee.

"What's got you in such a mood?" Kaito asked, plopping down next to Hakuba's desk, turning the chair around so he could lean his arms on the back rest and face the detective at the same time.

"A case," the blond muttered, "two cases, in fact. Hardly got a wink of sleep last night."

"Eh?" Kaito blinked, "Shinichi was home by late afternoon, or so he told me. What took you so long?"

"Paperwork," Saguru sighed, "their share of paperwork as they had to leave for Kyoto –"

Kaito grimaced slightly, remembering Shinichi's words from the day before.

" – and then I was taking a break at a café," Saguru continued, "when one customer falls down, dead."

"Yikes," Kaito murmured sympathetically, "That couldn't have kept you too long though, could it?"

"It did," the detective answered dryly, "the man was sitting alone at the table. His companions had left nearly half an hour ago. We had to wait till they returned before commencing interrogation and inquiry. I couldn't even leave the case to the police since I was one of the witnesses," he sighed again, "I reached home by two hours, thirty minutes and forty seconds after midnight –"

"Geez, where did you have the energy to check the time to be so precise –"

"– ate dinner and went straight to bed." Saguru said, ignoring the magician, "Unfortunately, functioning on three hours of sleep is not enough after chasing a serial killer and his accomplice for more than half a day, the previous day, for which," the teen added acidly, "I had to wake up at precisely 4:00:21 am too,"

"My sympathies," Kaito muttered, not sounding very sympathetic at all after listening to that tirade but Hakuba simply brushed him off.

"I'm going to take a nap at lunch time," Saguru told him.

"You do that," Kaito agreed, just as the professor walked in.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Suzuki-san,"

"Ah, you're him! Kudo Shinichi, aren't you?"

"Yes," Shinichi answered, "Sonoko introduced us at this year's New Year celebration."

"She did, she did," Jirokichi-san agreed, "The celebration was well planned, Kudo-kun! And that boyfriend of yours – Kuroba-kun, wasn't it? – his magic show was one to behold!"

Shinichi chuckled, "Very true."

It had been Ran's idea to hold Kaito's debut show at one of the Suzuki auditoriums, both for publicity as well as the glowing recommendations and praise from Jirokichi that was sure to come. Also, they could have a New Year party there and then, allowing the audience a chance to mingle with each other as well as meet the magician if they so wished. Perfect to build connections.

Accordingly, Shinichi had booked a hall for the evening and planned the whole event, letting Kaito concentrate on his tricks for the show. It had been a huge hit and the Suzuki's – all of them were in attendance, considering Sonoko was a good friend of the magician – had been awed, especially Suzuki Jirokichi.

The collector had immediately given an interview regarding the magic show, ever ready to have his face plastered on the newspaper, giving an honestly complimentary review. Even those that had been unable to buy tickets for the show had become hooked, wanting to watch Kaito perform.

Kaito had been rather delighted, thinking of the parallel situation they'd found themselves in. As both Kuroba Kaito and Kaitou KID, the old man found himself advertising the magician's shows.

"You would agree then," Shinichi began, "that my preparations were satisfactory?"

"Of course!" Jirokichi-san replied, wondering where this was going.

"Then, I ask that you allow me to help in the preparations for the heist."

"Ah," Jirokichi-san blinked, "You're a detective, aren't you, Kudo-kun? I'm sure we will be glad for your presence! After the Kid Killer's departure, we need someone to who can stand up against –"

"You misunderstand me, Jirokichi-san," Shinichi cut in gently, "I shall participate in the heist. I have received your invitation to the party too, after all. I was asking to help in the pre-heist preparations."

"That can be arranged too," Jirokichi-san allowed graciously, knowing that the teen was capable.

"Then, would you go a step further," Shinichi proposed, "and take my advice to heart?"

"Go on,"

"Change the location of the heist."

"Eh?" Jirokichi-san's inelegant response was quickly smoothed over by a cough, "Kudo-kun! Change the location? Why ever so? The villa is perfect for the heist – large with numerous rooms and –"

"Yes," Shinichi agreed, "but consider this, Jirokichi-san. With the large attendance for your party, it will be easy for KID to slip in. However, since the guests will have left by when KID chooses to make his appearance –"

"KID hasn't sent in his reply yet," Jirokichi-san cut in, "We are not sure of his time of arrival."

"Perhaps so," Shinichi conceded, "but the police shall be wanting to cordon off the area and the guests will be forced to leave. KID likely knows this and will announce his time accordingly."

"Hmm, very well," Jirokichi-san hummed, "I'm listening."

"The villa is situated right in the middle of the city," Shinichi continued, "While he can enter in as a guest, he will leave via hang-glider or disguised as one of the police or staff. That is the most probable scenario. After which, he shall slip into the crowd in the streets and disappear."

"And what do you plan to do then?"

"Hold the heist in your summer house up in the hills," Shinichi responded immediately, "Surrounded by the orchard and then the woods, he has no one to disguise as. The guests will have left, he cannot claim to be left behind, for the only one 'left behind' then, will be KID. Also, it will take a while for KID to realise the venue has been changed, at least he won't be able to set up many of his tricks before hand."

"Brilliant plan, Kudo-kun!" Jirokichi-san laughed, "I agree! I shall send out a text signalling the change in venue immediately!"

"Oh, also," Shinichi said, "one more thing."

"Yes?" Jirokichi-san smiled, glad to have someone with innovative ideas team up with him.

Inspector Nakamori's ideas, while good, couldn't always stand up to KID's tricks. His daughter seemed to have a good mind too, but he still knew nothing about exactly _what_ she had planned as her trap.

"I'll ask you to use no electrical machines," Shinichi practically voiced it as an order.

"No electricity?" Jirokichi-san frowned, "Most of our equipment and traps are run on it."

"Exactly," Shinichi said, "Allow me to elaborate; KID can easily sabotage electrical appliances, either with a power cut off or switching around a few wires before-hand, generator or no generator. And you can't deny he's gotten to your appliances before."

"Hmm, that is true." Jirokichi-san allowed, "What do you have in mind then?"

"Use natural stuff," Shinichi said, "Physical, practical traps. Rope nets, nylon nets, wooden-pressure based sliding staircases, etc. You will notice KID bases most of his tricks on them too. He uses playing cards as ammunition, Jirokichi-san!"

"You want us to beat him at his own game," Jirokichi-san concluded, "I suppose you have a few ideas of your own then?"

"If you'd be so kind to give it a thought," Shinichi smirked over his phone.

Jirokichi-san chuckled, "You're not fooling me, Kudo-kun! You wanted to design the whole operation, did you not?"

"Ah, not the _whole_ , now," Shinichi murmured deferentially, "Just most of it."

"Most of it, he says!" Jirokichi-san barked out a laugh, "You've convinced me, Kudo-kun. Plan it as you wish. I shall be giving the final approval, but I'm sure I'd accept them all, anyway."

"Thank you."

"Only, there's Nakamori's daughter, er…"

"Aoko-san?"

"Yes, her," Jirokichi agreed, "Nakamori Aoko. She's requested one room for herself."

"Very well," Shinichi replied, "I'll run my plans by her so as to not cause any confusion."

Ending the call, Shinichi smirked slightly.

While the invitation specified both of them, it had been delivered for 'Kudo Shinichi'. Kaito was not close enough to the Suzuki's to receive a personal invite, but obviously the plus one written on his card was meant for Kaito. Which meant, while Kaito certainly had an in for the party, Shinichi could still make planning the heist difficult for him.

With the change in venue, text messages would be sent out to notify the invitees. And, since the card was for Shinichi, Kaito wouldn't be getting the text at all.

 _'I can't stop Kaito from figuring out the change in location,'_ Shinichi mused, ' _but I can delay it, at least for a few days hopefully. Just enough to make sure he can't set up too many tricks beforehand.'_

* * *

Kaito idly poked at the block of tofu on his tray. Cafeteria lunch was not bad, per say, just not very tasteful. Also, eating alone was not fun at all. Aoko had taken the day off; actually, the whole sociology group had been allowed the day off, something about time to complete their projects. So, it had been him and Saguru the whole day. And speaking of the detective, he was making good on his word and taking a nap.

"Huh," Kaito sighed, "I can't wait for college to end. It's the first day already; I need to send in my reply…"

Just then, a beep sounded. Kaito checked his own phone before realising it was Hakuba's. Kept on the table, it vibrated slightly, inching closer and closer to the edge. Kaito quickly scooped it up before it could fall and blinked curiously at the notification.

_One new message – From: Suzuki Jirokichi_

Okay, so Kaito knew that the Hakuba's were an influential family – Hakuba senior was the Chief of Police, after all – and had good ties to the Suzuki's, often receiving invites to parties, but Hakuba receiving a personal message from the old man? Odd.

 _'Wait,'_ Kaito furrowed his brows thoughtfully, ' _Is this about the invitation to that party?'_

The invitations had come in last evening and Kaito had seen it on the table after Shinichi had left to catch the train. Obviously, it was Shinichi's way of saying 'There, that's your ready-made excuse to be present for the heist. You're coming as my plus one', without implicitly aiding a phantom thief that was internationally wanted.

Swiping it open, Kaito was greeted with a number lock.

"Great," Kaito muttered, "These detectives, they think too alike…"

Typing in 4869, Kaito was granted a negative response.

"Hmm," Kaito hummed, "So, not 'Sherlock' then. Saguru wouldn't keep birthdays, would he?"

Still, he tried out Hakuba's and Aoko's birthdates as passwords, to no avail. Just for the sake of it, he even typed in his own, Akako's and his Baaya's birthdates. Through it all, Hakuba slept on, too tired to realise that his phone was currently trying to be broken open by an adamant Kaitou Kid in hopes to see if it was a message regarding the heist. Since Kaito wouldn't be getting any updates and Shinichi wouldn't tell him till the last moment to hinder him, it was up to Kaito to do the job himself!

"Hmm, what about word plays?" Kaito wondered, "Shinichi likes that quite a bit…"

1564, basically hito-go-ro-shi, yielded in a stubbornly locked screen.

"Guess he wouldn't keep it as 'Murderer' despite his profession," Kaito snickered, "Well, how about… 898? Eh? No good? Guess, ha-ku-ba is out too…Hmm, word puns, then? What would be a good pun for unlocking the screen – aha!"

Kaito grinned, sure that he'd gotten it, and typed in 4649.

The screen unlocked and Kaito cheered mentally, "It actually ended up being yo-ro-shi-ku, eh?"

Kaito was right. It was a message regarding the invitation; a change in the venue, specifically.

 _'Huh,'_ Kaito huffed in amusement, ' _Why do I smell a rat? This seems like a sudden decision for the old man to make. So…does that mean…? Well, well, looks like you've already started your preparation, eh, Meitantei? You planned to keep me in the dark about this, until someone spilled it out or my doves caught wind of it. Looks like we're already clashing wits…'_

Locking the phone swiftly, Kaito placed it back on the table, tackling his tofu with renewed energy, ready to play innocent when Hakuba woke up, pretending to have not touched the cellular device at all. Smirking, Kaito began changing his own plans subtly to counter Shinichi's first move.

The game was afoot!

* * *

"Heh," Kaito raised an eyebrow, sifting through the bag as he adjusted his postman disguise. The true postman lied sleeping around the curve of the road in his van after a quick burst of sprayed gas under his nose, "That's quite a number of replies the Suzuki's are getting already."

The invitations must have arrived barely yesterday and nearly thirty envelopes (Most probably RSVPs for the party) had already been sent back. It was quite convenient that regular mail did not require a receipt one had to sign on or else Kaito wouldn't have been able to disguise the twenty _extra_ envelopes sent out by Kaitou Kid as a response to the heist.

"Post for Suzuki Jirokichi-sama?"

"Hai."

The guard collected them at the gate and Kaito inwardly groaned. Okay, so accessing the house via this route wouldn't do. Well, fine, it wasn't like this was the house the heist was going to be held at, anyway. But Kaito would have liked to have a look at the amulet in person before it would be moved to the location, at least.

' _Never mind,'_ Kaito thought as he bowed at the gate and turned the corner, quickly shedding his disguise and holding smelling salts under the mailman's nose, _'I'll have to find another way. Or perhaps best to simply check out that mansion in the hills right away.'_

A few moments later, when the man awoke, it was to confusion at finding his post delivered and wondering why he'd fallen asleep in the first place. Kaitou Kid, of course, was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"You _are_ Shinichi-kun, aren't you?" Aoko asked, glowering at him.

"Of course," Shinichi replied, eyebrow twitching, ' _Kaito hasn't disguised as me in front of her before, has he?'_

"Aoko cannot take your word for it," saying so, the girl reached up a hand to mess up his hair.

The hair fell back into its natural state – cowlick in front, tuft of hair sticking up at the back – after the brown haired girl was done. Still unsatisfied, she pulled his face closer, trying to check if he had contact lenses in. Shinichi drew the line at that.

"Aoko-san," the detective protested, "I've come to talk to you about the trap you're designing. How would Kaito have heard of it if only Jirokichi-san and your father were present for that discussion?"

"Aoko doesn't know how Kaito knows things," Aoko replied, letting go of Shinichi to pull out her cell phone, "And how does Shinichi-kun know about it?"

"I've been talking to Jirokichi-san, of course," Shinichi pointed out.

"And isn't Shinichi-kun supposed to be in Kyoto?" Aoko continued, disregarding his explanation, "What is Shinichi-kun doing here then? All the way in Ekoda, at my house?"

Not even waiting for an answer, she shoved her phone at him, a large picture of a fish dish displayed on the screen. Shinichi supressed a snort at her last attempt to prove he was Kaito. Satisfied at the response, she tucked the phone back, suddenly sheepish now.

"Aoko is sorry," the girl paused, "Actually, Aoko is not very sorry, after all. Aoko doesn't want Kaito to find out what the trap is to be, so she has to take precautions, you see."

"I understand," Shinichi smirked, "in fact, I'm here to tell you that the venue has been changed. Hakuba must have gotten the message, but I thought best to inform you too."

"Saguru hasn't told Aoko yet about the venue change, but he has invited Aoko as his plus one," Aoko shook her head, "He was so tired after yesterday; he simply went home to rest. I wonder if he has seen the text."

"He won't be taking part in the heist then?" Shinichi asked, slightly surprised.

"No," Aoko laughed, "He said he'd rather simply enjoy the party this time."

"Fair enough," Shinichi grinned, "But, Aoko-san, about your contribution…"

"Oh yes!" Aoko literally sparkled, "Aoko has begun working on it alongside her college project. This way, Kaito will not be able to guess! Come up with me, it is in my room!"

Shinichi dutifully followed her up the stairs. Inside her room were a few simple, cut out pieces of cardboard, all in random shapes. Taped to the bottom edge of each was a long stick. Their lengths varied but at the end of each stick was another cardboard, this time acting as a makeshift stand.

Shinichi frowned, "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"That is the beauty of it, isn't it?" Aoko smiled, "The trick only works in special circumstances, especially when KID shall switch off the lights!"

"Oh! You have yet to arrange them in a specific order," Shinichi's eyes widened in realisation, "I see, do you have the lights then?"

"Yes," Aoko dug out a box form underneath her bed and opened it, "Here they are. Aoko decided this method was best, since then KID wouldn't be able to realise what it is until he's already tripped the trap!"

"I agree, Aoko-san," Shinichi nodded, inspecting the solar powered tiny lamps inside the box, "Such random objects placed inside the room would only seems like decoration at first glance. When will you be setting this up?"

"Aoko hasn't finished making enough to fit a room yet," the Inspector's daughter admitted, "Aoko will set up the cardboard figures a day before and charge the solar lamps then too. Aoko will only put the lamps in place on the day of the heist."

"In nine days, then," Shinichi said, "A good idea. Would you like to come and see the house and pick the room? You can calculate how many more you'd have to make after measuring the perimeter of the room."

"That will be a good idea!" Aoko agreed, "Shall we go tomorrow?"

"That is fine," Shinichi nodded, "Now, I must return. Kyoto is a two and half hour journey by Shinkansen and I'd best be getting on with my own college projects."

* * *

The second day dawned – eight more days till the heist – and Kaito had more or less decided on what he would do for it. Knowing that the police and Jirokichi-san might not have figured out how to read the notes he'd delivered, a batch of forty envelopes were going to be delivered today.

This served a triple purpose; one, it would frustrate the old man, making him wonder the reason for so many replies from KID; two, there were plenty of replies to experiment on to find out the answer should they damage any; third and final, was a subtly hidden clue, that the answer lay within the letters themselves.

Kaito had put in quite a bit of effort in writing the reply; it would be a shame if they didn't manage to figure it out. Hence, the large number of replies. And if some of them got destroyed, there were always more to spare! Also, it would rather freak the old man out to see some envelopes left in odd places.

"Ready, Jii-chan?"

"Yes, bocchama," Jii agreed, "however, do you feel it wise to disguise as handy men again? This is a very over used disguise."

"And simple," Kaito retorted, "Also, they always over look this one because of the numerous handy men working to fit the house for a KID Heist. It's perfect!"

"As you say, bocchama."

The two of them reached the villa; truly built in a scenic location, Kaito wouldn't mind spending his summer here and could see the reason why the Suzuki's did so with the lush greenery that enclosed it; and entered through the back door, easily mingling with the busy staff and other workers.

"What's that bag for?" One of them asked Jii as he passed by, "Looks like a large number of wooden sticks,"

"Ah yes," Jii nodded, covering his face with his cap subtly, "Suzuki-sama requested them for some reason; I'll go ask him about it."

Satisfied, the worker left them alone and they went back to their own job.

Giving a silent nod to his assistant, Kaito departed to explore the house, ' _Let's see the layout of this place, shall we? Looks like the police haven't been allowed to oversee the arrangements for the KID heist. Lucky!'_

Kaito was wrong about the last thing.

The police had already arrived at the villa; only they were too busy deciphering the completely blank notes sent by KID to pay attention to anything else. Then again, considering it was only Nakamori and a couple of his juniors who were present, thinking that staging more police around the original venue might mislead KID, it was expected that they couldn't keep an eye everywhere.

"I seriously don't get it!" Jirokichi-san was saying, "I've seen it under black light, heated it, burnt it, everything! But I can't understand what message he's sent in this blank, thick sheet of paper!"

Kaito, just outside the room he'd almost stumbled into, snickered quietly at what the old man said.

"Hmm, that's true," Nakamori agreed, "If you've tried all that and still haven't been able to see his message, I don't get it either."

"Sir?" one of Nakamori's juniors spoke up, "Should we try an x-ray?"

Kaito nearly doubled up in laughter at that suggestion, but stayed silent.

"X-ray?" Nakamori repeated, flabbergasted, "You fool! Do you think KID would actually to such lengths to put something inside a paper? No, _twenty_ papers?"

"Umm, it does seem rather thick…"

 _'Actually,'_ Kaito mused, _'I totally would. But, I haven't done so this time.'_

Jirokichi-san on the other hand, was totally on board with that, "It's at least an idea! We'll do that now. I still have six more letters left – we can check those,"

"What happened to the other fourteen?" Nakamori questioned.

"Destroyed," Jirokichi replied, "I did tell you that I burnt some of them, didn't I?"

"Really! This is why you should leave such things to the police, Suzuki-san! Destroying evidence!"

"What evidence? I had them checked for fingerprints first…"

Kaito ambled off, knowing that nothing would be found out then.

It was two hours later and still before noon that Kaito and Jii left the villa, a rudimentary sketch of the mansion's room in hand and a few small tricks set up.

"I better go to my afternoon lectures, Jii-chan," Kaito sighed, folding his arms behind his head, "Can't have anyone too suspicious. We'll continue this after I return from college."

"Very well," Jii agreed, "Have you realised which room would be used for holding the amulet, bocchama?"

"Yeah, there a couple of rooms that seem suitable," Kaito said, "but we can't be sure yet. They've not started any work on them as of now, so we'll have to make a few more trips to be sure. Once they set up the stand to hold the amulet, we'll know for sure."

* * *

On the evening of the second day, Jirokichi took the two teens, Kudo Shinichi and Nakamori Aoko, for a tour of the mansion.

"I've taken a few of your ideas, Kudo-kun," Jirokichi-san was saying, "and installed in a wooden, pressure-sensitive, sliding staircase for the third floor."

"The staircase that leads to the main room?" Aoko inquired.

"Exactly," Jirokichi-san nodded at her, "He will have to climb it to reach the third floor, and if he doesn't, it will certainly delay him."

"You'll be assigning positions to stand guard at later, yes?" Shinichi asked.

"Of course," Jirokichi-san nodded, "Right now, we're still setting up a most ingenious trap in the heist room!"

"Then please station guards outside the room," Shinichi advised, "Tell them to check the identity of your workers and not allow anyone else to wander in."

"Already done, my boy!" Jirokichi-san grinned, "Don't be taking this old man for granted, now! I've had them here since afternoon, right after we began work."

"Ne, Jirokichi-san," Aoko began, "is there a room you absolutely _must_ pass through to reach the main showroom?"

"Hmm, a must pass through?" Jirokichi scratched his chin, "Well, there's the drawing room on the second floor. One can access the third floor staircase by passing through it. But then, there's also the hallway to reach the staircase."

"We must seal the hallway then," Shinichi said, "for having KID pass through Aoko-san's room is important."

"Very well," Jirokichi-san inclined his head in agreement, "I shall see to it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xxx
> 
> GLOSSARY
> 
> 4-8-6-9 = shi-ya-ro-ku = Sherlock
> 
> 1-5-6-4 = hito-go-ro-shi = Murderer
> 
> 8-9-8 = ha-ku-ba = Hakuba
> 
> 4-6-4-9 = yo-ro-shi-ku = Nice to meet you
> 
> Smelling salts - Ammonia inhalants or spirits of hartshorn are chemical compounds used to arouse conciousness
> 
>  
> 
> xxx
> 
> To be continued...in Part 3


	10. The Heist, Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 of the heist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Chapter 8 has been divided. This is part 3
> 
> .
> 
> "Dialogues"
> 
> 'Thoughts'
> 
> .
> 
> Note: This is Part 3. The chapter has been divided due to the abnormal length.
> 
> Check the GLOSSARY for anything you might not understand.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth days passed doing absolutely nothing. The college midterms exams had been scheduled and all the teens were too busy writing papers to pay attention to the heist.

On the seventh day, another Sunday, Kaito arrived at the Blue Parrot early morning, hopeful that Jii-san had managed to make some progress.

"I'm sorry," Jii shook his head ruefully, "While I managed to set up other traps, the heist room has been very carefully guarded. No worker can enter simply, you know."

"Eh?" Kaito flopped down on a barstool sullenly, "Guess I'll have to scale the wall and enter through the windows then,"

"Bocchama," Jii began, "there are no windows for the room they've chosen."

"Drat!" Kaito cursed, "That old man is crafty. I'll have to search another way…"

"Also, there's something else," Jii said, pulling Kaito out of his thoughts for a moment, "I saw Aoko-san at the mansion."

"Aoko?" Kaito blinked, confused.

"Yes, along with Shinichi-san," Jii added, "Perhaps she might have come to deliver lunch to Ginzo-san, but I seem to doubt it."

"Aoko and Shinichi?" Kaito lit up, "Haha! Jii-chan! They just gave the perfect idea to infiltrate the room!"

"Bocchama?"

"Don't worry Jii-chan; we've got this one in the bag!"

* * *

"Yes, just that way," Shinichi nodded, "Perfect. Now, attach it to the door. A once open, once close mechanism."

Jirokichi-san frowned, "Are you sure that it will work? I'm converting one whole room for this, you know?"

"You can easily remove the mirrors and put them in one of your museums later," Shinichi said, "But, I can guarantee you that your original idea with mirrors wouldn't have lasted long against KID."

"I will have to concede to that," Jirokichi-san sighed, "But still…"

"It is all a matter of timing," Shinichi assured the man, "make sure the police follow at just a certain distance and he will be sure to trip most of the traps."

"Very well."

"And, one more thing. Have you an idea of his time of arrival?"

"Ah," Jirokichi-san shook his head, "we've received several notes from him – and a few turned up in rather odd places! – but we've been unable to decode it."

"Decode?" Shinichi repeated, "He's replied in code? That's unusual for a simple reply,"

"No, not in code. They're all rather blank pieces of paper." Jirokichi-san's voice was frustrated, "We received twenty on the first day, forty on the second and he kept adding twenty more to the bunch for every other day! The day before yesterday, on the fifth day, my office, the pantry, our mail box, even the fireplace was flooded with letters, a whole hundred in total!"

Shinichi chuckled, "I see. He's using a simple arithmetic progression."

"What's mathematics got to do with this?" Jirokichi-san asked, confused.

"He's asking us to solve this progressively," Shinichi explained, "Basically; it's his way of saying that you need to check for all kinds of ways to make the writing visible – I'm quite sure there is _something_ written – and that the clue lies hidden in the letters themselves."

"Do they?" Jirokichi-san asked, sounding sceptical, "Nakamori and I have tried everything we could! When we realised there was a thin sheet of paper stuck to the top of each letter, we even tried to peel off one layer of the paper to see if anything was written underneath!"

"And was there?"

"No, the topmost layer proved to be well glued. Trying to peel it resulted in a complete tear."

"Hmm," Shinichi placed his chin in the cleft between his thumb and forefinger, "I'm quite sure this is a way to mess with you, trying to befuddle you so that you spend an inordinate amount of time deciphering the notes instead of concentrating on other work."

"Well, it's succeeding!" Jirokichi-san cried out, "It's another challenge from him and I can't afford to lose!"

"True," Shinichi agreed, but was cut off by his ringing phone.

A minute later, Shinichi took his leave, assuring Jirokichi that he'd figure it out sooner than later and he had to leave urgently for a kidnapping case in Nagoya.

"Heiji's gone to Osaka for the weekend and Masumi-chan is all the way in Kyoto," Shinichi explained, "I'm the only one familiar enough with Nagoya police they could contact."

Jirokichi sighed but couldn't stop him really. But, the mention of the other detectives reminded him of something.

"What's the other detective's name, who used to chase KID too?" Jirokichi-san murmured to himself, "Hitachi? Hakuno? Hakuba? Yes, yes! Hakuba Saguru! I should give him a call…"

* * *

"This is not how I envisioned spending my Sunday afternoon."

"I know, but you'll help out a dear friend, won't you?"

"What happened to your other 'dear friend', Aoko-chan?"

"That treacherous fiend, she went off with Shin-chan!"

Ran giggled slightly at that and Kaito grinned at her.

"So that's why you're asking me to be your escort?" Ran asked playfully.

"Yes," Kaito admitted, idly spinning a coin around his fingers and knuckles, "If Shin-chan gets to have Aoko on his team, then Ran-chan must be on mine, doesn't she?"

"Sure," Ran giggled again, "I won't deny, this is slightly thrilling, helping out an international phantom thief check out the targeted-jewel."

"Shh!" Kaito hushed her, smirking, "Not so loudly, Ran-chan!"

Seated inside the Suzuki's villa in the city, both of them were waiting for Sonoko to return from her studies. Ran, upon Kaito's insistence, had given Sonoko a call, claiming to wanting to see the amulet before the party. While she had received an invite, with the hustle-bustle preceding a KID Heist, it would be quite difficult to see the gem then. Sonoko had wholeheartedly agreed (We have to keep our eyes peeled for KID-sama then! The jewel is secondary!) and agreed to drive Ran and Kaito to the mansion in the afternoon after her lessons.

When Sonoko arrived, Ran and Kaito were all ready to leave. Reaching the mansion though, they were in for a surprise.

"Sonoko-sama," the butler greeted, "Are they here to help out Jirokichi-sama with the heist note too?"

"Too?" Sonoko questioned, "Why, is there someone else here?"

Kaito briefly wondered if it were Shinichi – they had a strict code of conduct of not mixing personal life and work, and thus had abstained from even calling each other in the past week, sticking only to simple texts. The butler nodded in acquiescence with Sonoko's words.

"Yes, Hakuba-sama arrived a few minutes ago. He's in the study with Jirokichi-sama. Would you like to join them?"

Sonoko was considering it and Kaito would have intervened and refused had she not done the same, "No, that's all right. We may drop by later. I'd like to show Ran and Kuroba-kun the amulet first."

Having the Suzuki heiress as your guide certainly bypassed all security; Kaito's lips briefly stretched into a very KID-esque smirk before his face schooled into a mildly interested expression.

"There it is!" Sonoko showed it off proudly, "The 'Star of Apollo'!"

And sure enough, there it was. Kaito paid less attention to the amulet, however, and more to the room.

The room was carpeted, windowless and had a single door for entrance. It had a lot more knickknacks though. Two ornately carved, large cupboards stood by the walls on opposite sides and in the centre of the room was a three feet high stand with a glass cover. Inside it resided the amulet, placed on a velvet cushion. Kaito carefully inspected the glass case; funnily enough, there seemed to be no locking system in place. In fact, Kaito hadn't seen any other fancy traps that the old man was fond of.

' _What is the plan this time, old man?'_ Kaito wondered.

"Ne, Sonoko," Ran asked her friend suddenly, "Why is there no carpet around the stand?"

True, that had puzzled Kaito too. For a whole square meter around the showcase that held the amulet, there was absolutely no carpet, only plain, thick wooden floor. He peered as closely as he could without raising Sonoko's suspicion. In the end, Kaito couldn't make anything out and suggested they leave.

"Eh?" Sonoko stopped, "You don't want to go meet Hakuba-kun? I'm sure he must be helping out Oji-sama with the heist preparation or something."

"Really?" Ran sounded unsure, "I heard from Aoko-chan that this time Hakuba-kun wouldn't be participating in the heist."

"Anyway," Kaito said over them, "I really need to leave, thanks a lot for the trip, Suzuki-chan!"

"Hmph!" Sonoko huffed, "It wasn't entirely for you, either way. You just tagged along with Ran."

"Mou, Sonoko!"

Kaito chuckled; Sonoko was still a little stingy about dumping-not-dumping Ran for Shinichi, but he knew that in some ways, she was just a softy at heart.

* * *

Saguru had decided to leave this particular – and last, if Kudo was to be believed – heist to the two of them. Kudo and Kuroba could hash this heist out together, challenging each other and basically indulging in a game of wits. However, he couldn't deny that solving riddles left by KID was enjoyable. He was a detective, after all.

After receiving Jirokichi-san's call, he'd arrived at the mansion and had been led immediately to the old man's study. There, he'd picked up one of the numerous letters placed on a side table and got to inspecting it.

"Well?" Nakamori-keibu asked. He'd also come at around the same time, wondering of Jirokichi-san had made any progress on the reply from KID, and learnt that Hakuba had been called in. "Do you know what this says?"

"Please tell me everything from the beginning," Saguru requested, "How many letters did you get? Where were they delivered? Everything."

Apparently, they'd been delivered all over the place. On the first day, they'd come through the post, all twenty of them.

On the second day, they were found in an empty birdbath in the backyard and a few were stashed in the mailbox; forty in number.

On the third day, some of them were found on the roof, a few more in the front lawn and a large number was found inside the house in random places; sixty in total.

On the fourth day, eighty letters had made their way into the Suzuki villa in the city, stashed among grocery, stuffed down vases in the drawing room, wedged between doorways and one had come with the morning paper too!

On the fifth day, a whole hundred letters had arrived. The kitchen staff had found out first, seeing them placed in the fruit basket. Then Jirokichi-san himself had seen a few scattered around in his office. The maids had noticed a few more inside scullery and the gardener had collected a few out of the rose bushes and low hanging tree branches.

"You see why this has me so aggravated?" Jirokichi-san said emphatically, "It's like he's practically inside the house!"

 _'Good Lord!'_ Saguru smirked, _'He's surely trained those doves well, to have pulled off such a complicated delivery.'_ Then something struck him, "What about yesterday? Or today?"

"No," Jirokichi-san shook his head, "Only till the fifth day. On the sixth day – yesterday – and today, no letters have come."

"Five days, huh?" Saguru murmured, "And a hundred on the fifth day. A steady progression of numbers…a steady progression of what? Events? Activities?" He turned the thick paper around, thoughtfully, scanning it for clues and then doing the same for the envelope. The bright blue stamp stood out suddenly, "Say, Suzuki-san, do the other envelopes also have a blue coloured stamp?"

"Er, yes, they do," Jirokichi-san said, "Why?"

"I think I've got it," Saguru grinned, "This letter was designed for the police and needed all five days for a complete understanding, though it could have been comprehended earlier too."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, the trick was completed after five days, but we could have solved the code earlier if you'd just followed proper procedure."

"Proper procedure?" Nakamori-keibu parroted, "Elaborate!"

"The clues are rather disjoint," Saguru began, "but they all point towards one thing – luminol."

"Luminol?" Nakamori was astonished.

"What's that?" Jirokichi-san asked.

"It is basically a chemical that emits a blue glow, when mixed with an appropriate oxidizing agent," Saguru went on, "So, he gave his consistent blue stamps as a clue. We usually use luminol to check traces of blood –"

"You mean he's written all these letters with blood?!" Nakamori nearly screeched.

"No," Saguru glared at him, "I didn't say that. Any oxidising agent would do. In this case, it is the ink he used to write. Taking the 100 letters on the fifth day, I recollect reading about an ink that came into use in the 5th century in Europe – Iron gall ink."

"What ink?"

"Iron gall ink; it is an old ink that is seldom used now-a-days. In fact, the popularity of this ink died down in the nineteenth century, though it was still well used in the twentieth century," Saguru paused, "We've just left the twentieth century behind in fact, celebrating the twenty-first century this year. Naturally, obtaining this ink wouldn't have been very difficult, I imagine, even if it was more popularly used in Europe."

"Well," Nakamori admitted, "Kid _is_ an international thief, even if he's more active in Japan."

"So that whole progression thing meant…?" Jirokichi-san trailed off.

"Ah, yes, that," Saguru smiled, "It was a progression of investigation. While for KID's notes, we simply dust the letter for fingerprints, for other serious ones, after collecting evidence such as stray DNA, odd threads and fabric that might belong to the culprit –"

"We use luminol to check for hidden traces of blood," Nakamori finished, "A progressive procedure for investigating a crime scene."

"Precisely," Saguru smirked, "It seems he's written the message underneath the top layer – it looks like it's been stuck on – and spraying it with luminol will wet the paper enough that the characters beneath it will come to the top, glowing in blue."

"He's certainly dramatic," Jirokichi-san commented, impressed, "This must have been more complex than his previous heist notes."

"I think he has a reason to be," Saguru said quietly.

Remembering KID's mention of retirement a year ago, Nakamori frowned before dismissing it for the time being, "Very well, I'll have a bottle of luminol brought in."

The luminol reaction did yield results, much to the satisfaction of Saguru. Though, it did leave Nakamori-keibu, Jirokichi-san and the newly arrived juniors of the Inspector slightly disappointed. For the message was not in Japanese, certainly –

_Θα ευγενικά να αποδεχθεί την ευγενική πρόσκλησή σας, παρακαλούμε να περιμένουμε την άφιξή μου μια ώρα πριν από τα μεσάνυχτα_

"The hell is this?!" Nakamori yelled, "Since when did KID know Greek?"

"Oh, I doubt Kaitou Kid knows Greek," Saguru quipped, plucking the note away from Nakamori's shaking fingers, "He must have used a Japanese-to-Greek translation book. Allow me," saying so, he peered at the note carefully, "Ah…sometimes you think too much, keibu. Disregarding the other words that must no doubt be his flowery language, it says that he shall arrive at 11:00 pm, sharp."

"Does it?" Nakamori snatched the note back, forgetting that he couldn't read it.

Saguru sighed, exasperated, "Yes. The last word means 'midnight' and the words preceding it are 'an hour before'. Thus, 11:00 pm."

"Hmm, okay," Nakamori said, turning to his men and ordering that the note be translated completely, either way.

Saguru simply turned away to address Jirokichi-san, "I shall take my leave now, then."

"Oh, yes, sure," Jirokichi-san smiled, "We shall meet at the party in three days, then."

"Of course."

* * *

Aoko had just finished the last of her cardboard shapes when her phone beeped, signalling the arrival of a message. It turned out to be from Shinichi.

_KID's note has been deciphered – "Will graciously accept your kind invitation, please wait for my arrival an hour before midnight."_

_We must have everything ready by midday at least. Are you done?_

Sending back a simple yes, Aoko smiled. Yes, everything was ready.

* * *

The eighth and ninth day was spent mostly finalising plans and making small changes. On the tenth day, Shinichi and Kaito found themselves in the Kudo house in Beika, getting ready for the party. Adhering to the dress code, both Kaito and Shinichi had donned on trousers, shirt and tie, with a coat over it.

Ran had laughed lightly when she saw Kaito wearing the navy coloured coat and trousers with a white shirt underneath – Shinichi's and Conan's usual, mostly casual attire. The deep blue tie had been a deviation from Shinichi's preferred red bow-tie, but considering Shinichi was wearing a red tie and blue shirt – KID's colours, it was a fair trade off. Of course, the detective had not worn a white suit; that would have been too obvious; but donned on a black coat to match his black trousers.

Eisuke, who was Ran's escort, had given the girl a puzzled look when she laughed, but thankfully did not pry. Sonoko had given them all a warm welcome when they arrived and soon they began to mingle with the other guests. It was half-way through the party that the amulet was brought out of its protective custody, the police still absent as per orders.

"Ne, Saguru," Aoko began when the amulet was finally returned back to its room, "Do you think this is a bit much?"

"Hmm?" Saguru wordlessly questioned, sipping his drink.

"All those traps," Aoko sounded worried, "I'm feeling a bit nervous. What if…what if, Kaito gets caught?"

The nearly whispered words, along with her deviation from using 'Aoko' to refer to herself, made Saguru realise how serious she was.

"Aoko," Saguru placed his glass back on the small table they were occupying, "Believe me, this is just a game to both of them. Kudo-kun will have designed no traps with the intention of harming Kaito."

"But –" she bit her lip, "Aoko's trap…"

"It's alright," Saguru smiled, "It's a collapsible trap, right? And Kaito will immediately realise that it is your trap; he'll be reassured by that alone."

"Still!"

"Aoko," Saguru said firmly, "I'm pretty sure Kudo-kun has a contingency plan in mind should anything go wrong. Plus, it's not like Kaito will be so easily caught; he's an escape artist, remember? Have some faith."

"Okay," Aoko whispered, her eyes coming to a rest on Kaito and Shinichi, who were smiling and laughing together, looking like they were truly enjoying themselves, not a care in the world.

And perhaps, that was true…after all, this was how they'd first met, according to Kaito. At a heist, behind masks, two unknown geniuses, like-minded individuals, locked in a battle of wits.

This, Aoko realised, was their stage.

And the performance was sure to be spectacular.

* * *

Five minutes to eleven; Shinichi and Kaito slunk away from each other, not even glancing at the other, deep in thought as they mentally went through their plans.

Shinichi occupied a guest room that had been converted slightly. It had only speakers inside, connected to a headphone. As per orders, there had been minimum use of electrical appliances and most ear phones and mics were wireless. Cameras had been removed from the list as Shinichi was sure Kaitou Kid would disable them anyway. Why bother in the first place?

"Ready, Kudo-kun?"

"Yes, Nakamori-keibu. Begin ushering the guests out, it will be lights out soon."

* * *

Hidden behind a canopy, Kaito waited for the clock to tick down. He heard the guests leaving and quirked up his lips in a predatory smile. It had begun.

10:58:00

.

10:59:00

.

10:59:01

.

10:59:10

.

10:59:20

.

10:59:40

.

10:59:50

.

10:59:59

.

11:00:00

 _'It's show time!'_ Kaito grinned, pressing a button and cutting off all light supply.

Immediately, he darted out from behind his cover, already clad in his KID suit. Far behind, he heard Nakamori's voice calling out for a chase and Kaito simply ducked into another hallway. The lights had yet to come back on, but that was anticipated. Kaito had estimated a full two minute delay till the lights returned and he expected to make it to the second floor by then.

' _Curse the Suzuki's and their overly complicated houses,'_ Kaito muttered inwardly _, 'What's wrong in a simple interior design? But nooo, they have to make their mansion resemble a maze!'_

* * *

"He'll be making his way to the second floor by now," Shinichi said into his ear-piece, "Be careful of the darkness and tread cautiously."

A thud sounded and Shinichi grimaced, "What happened?"

"A trip wire!" A voice curse, "KID's left a bunch of them here!"

"Officers on the second floor," Shinichi continued, disregarding the tripped officers for now, "Blockade the east corridor! We need to force him to take the west one and pass through the drawing room."

"Hai!"

"Officers standing by the staircase leading to the third floor, _keep off_ that staircase!" Shinichi barked out, "Also, KID will emerge from the drawing room, so a few of you should turn around the corridor and wait for him. He might be a bit disoriented, so you'll have a chance to get him."

* * *

Kaito heard a stampede from the east side and casually flicked a few pellets behind, smoking the place and running down the west corridor. Coming to a stop in front of the drawing room – he'd memorised the layout of each room in the mansion – Kaito wondered why the lights weren't on yet. The generator too couldn't have broken down, right?

 _'Is this a trap?'_ Kaito asked himself, _'Idiot! Everything's a trap with Shinichi involved. But, it seems he wants me to take this route, having blocked the previous one. I'll just have to be prepared.'_

The thought had barely taken two seconds and Kaito quickly opened the door, let himself in and shut it behind. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight that met his eyes.

Large, luminous shadows of f-f-fi– _underwater monsters_ gleamed on the walls.

With the electric lights out, the solar powered lamps had taken their place. With the appropriately placed, disjoint cardboard pieces, they formed a shadow on the wall. Had the lights been on, the shadows would have been on the floor and thus useless. But now, large shadow puppets of aquatic beasts glared down on Kaito.

A small squeak must have escaped Kaito before his poker-face slammed on, _'Damn that Aho-ko! This is all her doing!'_

Kaito kept his eyes closed and quickly shot off random cards from his gun, making a few pieces of stick-held cardboard fall to the floor. The picture now disrupted, the shadows no longer looked like finny beasts.

 _'Oho, I see,'_ Kaito scowled, ' _Shinichi must have ordered them not to switch the lights back on till I crossed the room. Very well, I'll have my revenge soon enough!'_

* * *

"There's smoke coming from the drawing room!"

Shinichi paused before ordering, "Be on look out, KID will surely come out. Whether it be with dummies or not."

"But… There – there is nothing here!"

"What?" Shinichi's question was met with silence and he cursed, knowing that those particular officers were fast asleep by now.

"Keep an eye by the stairs! KID is on his way!" Shinichi spoke hurriedly before contemplating, _'How did you do it? How did you travel past an eleven foot corridor without being seen? Even with the smoke, they should have noticed you…'_

"Hey, you!" A voice alerted him back to the present, "Catch him!"

Shinichi concentrated on that, realising that KID was close to the staircase now.

* * *

"When the medium is dense," Kaito murmured, "even crudely camouflaged objects will not strike the eye."

Kaito chucked a large, cloth behind him, entangling a few detectives within it. That cloth, in fact, had one side painted plain white, while the other had the same pattern as the wallpaper of this particular corridor.

When the smoke had filled nearly half the hallway, Kaito had slipped out of the drawing room, his back to the wall and covered himself with the cloth, appearing to be part of the wall. The three officers had moved forward to investigate and gotten a good bout of sleeping gas to the face.

Kaito ran past another corridor, reaching a hand behind him to aim a few cards near the ceiling. Previously arranged and fixed shinai fell from above. The chasing officers yelped in surprise and jumped back, barely missing the falling objects, only to realise that they were still fixed. They hung in the air, a foot off the ground, quite literally blocking the way for three feet ahead.

* * *

"Shinai?" Shinichi repeated, "How many? How didn't you see them?"

"They stretch the complete width of the corridor and length for three feet."

"Very well, stand back then and let the others take charge."

Shinichi had only just figured out the trick Kaito had used to travel the length of the corridor that he'd sprung this, _'Quite ingenious, KID, but let's see how you fare ahead.'_

* * *

' _Stairs, huh?_ ' Kaito frowned when an officer came running towards him, but stopped right at the edge of the staircase, ' _Well, well, well. If you won't come down the stairs, then I refuse to go up them as well! Besides, KID doesn't do what you expect him to do, either way!_ '

Shooting a grappling hook, Kaito let it catch on the handrail to the side and pulled himself up. A few feet away, an unfortunate officer came running and instinctively moved towards the stairs –

CRASH! The sliding mechanism had activated.

"Yikes," KID grinned, jumping onto the corridor, the policeman standing at the top of the stairs already on his tail.

* * *

"I told them to keep off the stairs," Shinichi sighed.

Shinichi took off his ear-piece then; those officers were on their own now. He had only one last trick left and for that, he didn't need to communicate with the Task Force. He'd already told the Inspector that he wouldn't be waiting till the end of the heist, needing to leave due to prior engagement.

"Okay, KID," Shinichi whispered, putting on another set of headphones over his ears, "I'm waiting."

* * *

Kaito was glad the other tricks had set off beautifully, because that meant Nakamori and a major amount of the troops were imprisoned on the first floor. Running through two rooms, he'd emptied a bucket of slime on a few unsuspecting officers, before cackling and running away.

Taking the final turn, Kaito spotted the door to the sitting room, _'There! Through that and it is a short cut to the showroom!'_

Pushing the door open, Kaito stopped in surprise. This room had been converted too, but unlike Aoko's, this was not a shadow puppet show, but one of mirrors.

"Interesting," Kaito murmured, shutting the door behind him, "all the mirrors are hinged to the wall in a wing-pattern and as soon as the door opens, they fold in, creating a perfect polygon – no, a dodecagon to be precise!"

It was true; all mirrors were at 150 degrees to each other, the door through which he entered only helped complete the figure and remained the only side of the dodecagon that was wooden. Kaito couldn't spot a single inch of the wall. Glancing up at the ceiling did not help at all, as that too had been covered with a reflective surface. The other exit was nowhere to be seen.

Kaito could retreat from the room and take the long cut, but, he himself had put up traps there to stop any officers from taking that route. The only way was forward then.

 _'No problem,'_ Kaito smirked, ' _I know the dimensions of this room; I can easily calculate behind which mirror the door is – that mirror should be collapsible.'_

"Hello, Kaitou Kid."

' _Shinichi!'_ Kaito's eyes widened as the voice echoed from multiple places, ' _He's set up speakers here?'_

"Meitantei."

"You've reached the final trap I've set, KID. And with that, it seems our game must end."

"So soon, Meitantei?" KID leered, "Almost as if you're giving up~!"

"Alas, I've a prior engagement. I enjoyed the game, KID. See you soon."

Immediately, Kaito knew Shinichi had disconnected. And he had no time to ponder his last words as thick smoke immediately began filling the room. Kaito covered his nose in instinct before realising that it was stage smoke.

"Huh," Kaito narrowed his eyes, "Another stalling technique? Looks like even if your traps are over, Jirokichi-san still has a few left."

With the smoke covering the room, Kaito couldn't see the mirrors clearly, giving up precious time as he allowed the police to regroup.

' _No matter,'_ Kaito decided as he chose a course of action, ' _It might be crude, but it is efficient.'_

Thus, he levelled his card gun straight ahead. The first few mirrors near the door were obviously out, and the exit was a little diagonally opposite the entrance. So, taking careful aim, he began to fire, hoping to hit the single revolving mirror among the bunch.

* * *

Shinichi entered the parking lot and made his way behind a few trees where he'd parked a bike the day before. He and Kaito had taken his car to the party, but Kaito would definitely need it to drive back after he made his escape, disguised as 'Kudo Shinichi'. Well, Kaito had filched the car keys from him back in the party already, so that part was already set.

Now, for the other arrangement… Securing the helmet, Shinichi mounted the bike and inserted the keys in. Pulling out his phone, he rang a familiar number.

"Hello, Shinichi?"

"Hey, Ran. Do you have it ready?"

"Yes, everything. Are you leaving now?"

"Yes, just about to. I'll be there to collect it in another half an hour or so, yeah?"

"Of course!"

* * *

The last, main showroom was empty. That immediately set off warning bells in Kaito's mind. Plus, that uncarpeted wooden patch aound the stand still unnerved him.

Kaito came to a standstill before the uncarpetteed area.

' _Is it pressure-sensitive like those staircases, I wonder?'_ Kaito experimentally rolled few marbles over it but nothing happened, _'The room is darkened, so… photosensitive?'_

Shining a light on it had no effect either and Kaito felt a little silly. Deciding it was alright, he stepped onto the wooden floor. Nothing happened. He sighed.

But one carfeul look at the amulet inside showed Kaito what was wrong – it was a fake.

 _'Expected,'_ Kaito mused, _'Completely expected. But, the real one must be there somewhere in this room afterall. Perhaps this fancy stand has some clue…?'_

Kaito ran his hand along the side of the showcase, pressing and prodding the knobs and ridges, when something seemed to give. Slowly, with a wheezing sound, one area of the uncarpeted floor slid back, revealing a hollow space underneath. Insde it was a cylindrical tube – just as wide as his arm – that seemed fixed to the ground. And in the centre of that tube laid the amulet.

 _'What? This is so simple…so easy. I just put my hand in and pull it out?'_ Kaito peered in carefully, ' _Yeah, that's what it looks like. The tube is about as long as my forearm too.'_

It reeked of a trap, but Kaito couldn't see what it was, really. The tube seemed to be made of bamboo strips, braided intricately. He wondered why the amulet was placed within it but he couldn't come up with an answer.

Hesitant to put his arm in, Kaito pulled out a small piece of rope with a hook attached to it, lowering it down the tube. It hooked around the chain of the amulet but did not pull it up.

 _'Huh?'_ Kaito blinked, ' _Oh, it's locked to the ground, then. A tiny lock, no –'_

Moving the chain around slightly, Kaito could make out three more locks, all lopped through the chain of the amulet and a ring wedged into the floor of the hollow cavity.

"Looks like I'll have to put my hand in, after all," Kaito murmured. "Well, all that could spring out is a handcuff and no handcuff can keep Kaitou Kid bound for long!"

Slowly sliding his hand in, Kaito wiggled his fingers a bit, beginning to work on opening one lock. Then, the silence seemed to burst into a cacophony of sounds, the two cupboards on opposite sides of the room swinging open and pouring out three Task Force members each.

Kaito jerked his hand reflexively, trying to pull out, only for the tube to constrict around him, his arm stuck inside, **_'What?!'_**

"Hands up KID, you're under arrest!"

"Or," another officer spoke up in amusement, "should we say, 'hand' up?"

Kaito scowled inwardly, _'Okay, old man, you got me here. But, not for long…'_

KID gave an excited laugh at the new challenge, lifting his free hand above his head as if in compliance, while his other hand worked on unlocking the other tiny locks, "My, my, gentlemen! How long have you been shut inside that tiny cupboard?"

They seemed confused at his laughter – perhaps Nakamori-keibu was right, in the end – KID was certainly crazy. Who the hell laughed in delight when you were literally cornered by the police?

Kaito simply smirked. Because no matter what, KID would still escape, as he always did. After all, you can never capture a phantom...

"Ignore him!" An experienced officer ordered, "And you, KID, place all your weapons on the ground!"

"What a terribly confusing request, my good man," KID's suave tone echoed with humour, ' _Okay, that's the third lock done. One more…_ ' "With one hand occupied and the other above my head, how could I put my weapons down?"

That struck them and one officer stepped forward, ready to pull out the weapons from KID's person, himself.

"Wait! You never know what he has up his sleeves," Another officer said.

"What a fiend you paint my picture as," KID said sorrowfully, "Why don't all of you come a few steps forward to make sure I do nothing?"

"Hmm," The slightly bright officer frowned, but he could see the sense in it, "Very well, hands up, still!"

"You have me captured, keiji-san," KID assured, ' _Good, just one more step forward…'_

As the officers took a collective step forward, Kaito immediately flicked his free hand, calling forth a switch that he quickly pressed. Two large nets fell down then, completely covering the officers who yelled in surprise. Additionally, he also threw down out a few smoke bombs, disappearing from view.

 _'Sixty seconds till they escape the net,_ ' Kaito calculated, a little breathless due to exertion, ' _twenty five till the smoke disappears. Shit, twenty five seconds to make a perfect escape. But, damn this tube!'_

For nothing Kaito did made it budge; he pulled and pulled, but the tube only grew tighter around his hand. Even though he'd freed the amulet, he couldn't pull it out.

 _'Curses!_ ' Kaito grimaced, _'Fifteen seconds…this thing just doesn't come out – **oh**! Kami-sama! I can't believe it; **this** is what the old man brought out for this heist…?'_

* * *

"Hey, you alright?" A Kid Task Force officer called out as the smoke disappeared finally.

"Oi, Daisuke! Where's KID?"

"Gone!" Daisuke responded as the empty place was revealed to them, "How? Suzuki-san didn't tell us he could escape his trap!"

"Actually," another officer, Kageyama, spoke up, "All Suzuki-san said was that as long as one of KID's hands remained up in the air and the other stuck in the trap, we have a chance of catching him."

"What went wrong then?"

"Idiot! We should never have walked close enough; that net is at fault!"

"Hey, why didn't you stay back then?"

"I don't think you have room to complain –"

"Should have been more alert –"

"How can you –"

* * *

Standing on one of the balconies, Kaito held the amulet up against the moon. It glowed and glinted brightly, the red interior shining. However, it was not Pandora.

"Such a shame," Kaito sighed, "After all that trouble I went through too – but man! Jirokichi-san, that was one classy trap! Who knew you'd think of installing a large Chinese handcuff there?"

Chinese handcuffs were a fascinating thing; they tightened when you tried to pull out of it but loosened when you pushed inwards. All Kaito had to do was use his other hand to push the tube downwards, scrunching it up, so that his trapped hand came free.

"Well, that's that," Kaito whistled, throwing the amulet up in the air once, catching it as it fell, "Let's go place it somewhere in the house…perhaps in the party room? I remember a vase –" Kaito stopped in surprise when he saw a note taped to the back of the amulet, "What? Who would have –?"

_'…I've a prior engagement. I enjoyed the game, KID. See you soon…'_

_'See you soon…'_

**_'See you soon…'_ **

Shinichi's words crashed into Kaito's brain like a sledge-hammer – See you soon.

"An invitation stuck on the back of the target?" Kaito laughed, that was just like the detective.

And written on the note were two words printed in English: _April Fool_

"Oh, Shinichi…" Kaito smiled in remembrance, "Yes, it is passed midnight now. And the 1st of April, too. But, what is it? What is the clue, the code hidden in these two words? For surely it can't be simply a mention of our first meeting as KID and Conan…"

Kaito avoided the officers on the first floor – they'd finally managed to escape Kaitou Kid's traps – placing the amulet on a table in the ball room with a note from KID, stating it was not what he wanted and to consider this his last show; he was retiring for good.

Pulling out the keys of Shinichi's Mazda, Kaito sat himself behind the wheel.

"Okay, Meitantei," Kaito exhaled as the car purred to life, "One last treasure hunt, it seems!

* * *

"April fool," Kaito repeated softly as he pulled onto a highway, "It seems related to the Black Star heist, but that whole heist was a sham. So, conversely, if this is left by Shinichi, I should take it to mean that it is true? Okay…so disregarding the 'Fool', what does April mean?"

April was a month, the fourth month of the year in fact. But what about it? Was it a play on words?

"You do seem fond of puns," Kaito said to himself, "So, April is '4月' – 4 Tsuki… 4 is 'yon', 'yotsu', 'yo'. But none of them make sense…what if I add them up?"

Adding them up proved fruitless.

"Huh, so not those," Kaito murmured, now entering into Tokyo central, "What about 'shi' then? No, even if I take 'shi', what do I do about 'Tsuki'?"

'Shi' was 'four'; it was also 'to'. But, _to_ where? Kaito knew he had to go somewhere, but if 'Tsuki' was the place, then he didn't get the clue at all. What was 'Tsuki'?

"Wait! What if 'four' has another meaning?" An idea just struck Kaito, "If I combine 'shi' with 'yon', no…'yonshi' can't be it. Aha! 'Yottsushi'!" Kaito grinned, "That's it!"

Yottsushi, combining 'yotsu' and 'shi', meant 'four seasons'. Four Seasons Park was a park Kaito was familiar with, having held plenty of magic shows there before and after his debut on New Year. Also, the one flower that had gained a lot of attention there was the 'moonflower'. Hence, 'Tsuki'.

"So, Four Seasons Park, near the moonflowers," Kaito deduced proudly, "Here I come!"

* * *

Shinichi glanced at his watch and sighed. Taking the half an hour drive into account and another half hour as time to complete and wrap up the heist, Kaito should have been there twenty minutes ago.

 _'I left all the clues, too,'_ Shinichi pondered thoughtfully, _'Did he not get the meaning?'_

Smoothing down the blanket he was seated upon, Shinichi stretched out his legs. It was 1:40 am, and Kaito was nowhere to be seen. When Shinichi had learnt that the heist was to be on the eve of 31st March, and would proceed well into the next day, 1st April, he couldn't pass up the chance. It had been the day when he and Kaito had first come face to face, albeit under their aliases, but it had marked the beginning.

"I even asked Ran to bake the chocolate cake," Shinichi muttered, "That'll all go to waste if he doesn't come. I'm certainly not going to gorge on all this chocolate…"

"Who's going to gorge on all that chocolate?" Kaito's pleasant voice came from behind him.

Shinichi resisted the urge to jump; he'd not heard him arrive!

"Kaito!"

"Shinichi," Kaito grinned teasingly, plopping himself down on the blanket as he eyed the wicker basket, "Is the cake in there?"

Shinichi laughed at Kaito's eager expression, "All eyes for the chocolate, is it?"

"Of course!" Kaito rubbed his hands gleefully before opening the basket and taking the cake out, "Ooh! A knife, spoons and bowls too! And are those lemon pies? Bottles of juice and water… Ran-chan certainly knows how to pack a late night snack!"

"Lemon pies are for me," Shinichi told him, amused, "And Ran just packed the other stuff in; I didn't complain."

"Right, anyway," Kaito said suddenly, smiling brightly, "Shinichi, did you know? We can see the top of Haido hotel clearly from this end of the park. Look!"

"Uh huh," Shinichi nodded, turning his head to gaze at the building when Kaito did so, "Isn't it convenient? It fit in really well with my riddle, and the moonflowers have blossomed so beautifully too. You can –" Shinichi's breath hitched suddenly, his voice dying out.

As they both gazed up at the hotel, a single rocket whizzed up from the roof top, going high in the air before bursting up colourfully in a shower of lights and noise.

"Kai – what?" Shinichi sputtered in surprise, eyes wide as he turned to face the magician.

Kaito smiled softly, "Fireworks!"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xxx
> 
> GLOSSARY
> 
>  
> 
> Θα ευγενικά να αποδεχθεί την ευγενική πρόσκλησή σας, παρακαλούμε να περιμένουμε την άφιξή μου μια ώρα πριν από τα μεσάνυχτα - Will graciously accept your kind invitation, please wait for my arrival an hour before midnight
> 
> Scullery - A small kitchen or room at the back of a house used for washing dishes and other dirty household work.
> 
> Luminol - A chemical that exhibits chemiluminescence, with a blue glow, when mixed with an appropriate oxidizing agent.
> 
> Shinai - Wooden swords
> 
> Yon = I
> 
> Yotsu = Four
> 
> Yo = Yo
> 
> Shi = To
> 
> April Fool = April = 4 Tsuki = Yottsushi Tsuki = Four Seasons, Moon = Four Seasons Park, Moonflowers
> 
> 4月 = April
> 
> 4 = Yotsu = Shi (Yottsu-shi)
> 
> Tsuki = Moon
> 
> Yonshi = Read
> 
> xxx
> 
> THE END


End file.
